The Member States of the European Union are continuing the process of ending lockdown with the resumption of social and economic activities. From 1 July, freedom of movement should be fully restored and the external borders will be partially reopened. The Foundation offers you a summary of the measures taken and the timetable planned by each State. An indispensable resource for understanding ways being taken to exit the crisis and rediscovering a European "spirit

The Foundation organised an online debate on 23 June on the next multiannual financial framework, moderated by Pascale Joannin, Director General, with Gert-Jan Koopman, Director General DG BUDGET at the European Commission, José Manuel Fernandes, Member of the European Parliament (EPP, PT) and Alain Lamassoure, former Minister, former MEP and Chairman of the Foundation's Scientific Committee. The full discussion is available online.

On 23 June, Environment Ministers discussed the implementation of the Green Deal in conjunction with the European Recovery Plan. They agreed on the importance of making the two policies coincide, and of allocating sufficient resources to the ecological transition within the framework of the recovery plan. The ministers reiterated their support for the objective of climate neutrality by 2050, and want biodiversity to be taken into account in recovery policies. Finally, they consider that the Commission's initiatives on the circular economy and "farm to fork" should also be important vehicles for recovery.

A tripartite social summit was held on 23 June between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, the country holding the Presidency of the Council, and the European social partners. Participants were able to exchange views on the role of the social partners in economic recovery. They called for an ambitious European recovery plan and coordination between national plans to deal with the economic shock caused by the pandemic. They hope that these plans will help them start their ecological and digital transition.

On 24 June, following a vote by the Parliament on 19 June, the Council definitively adopted temporary rules to help banks and the European economy to cope with the crisis. The rules amend in particular capital requirements and provide for measures to facilitate lending to SMEs, pensioners, employees and businesses.

On 24 June the Council adopted a regulation making the use of EU funds for agriculture more flexible. It will allow member states to distribute up to €7 000 to farmers and €50 000 to SMEs processing, developing or promoting agricultural products, to help them deal with the economic consequences of confinement measures taken in Europe. This aid may be distributed until 30 June 2021 and should represent a maximum of 2% of the total contribution to the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on 26 June that the new school year will start on 14 September, with strict sanitary measures to avoid congestion in classrooms. Schools have been closed in the country since 5 March.

In France the second round of local elections was held on 28 June. In Belgium, swimming pools, theatres and cinemas are reopening, market stalls are no longer limited and activities for up to 15 people will resume on 1 July. In Germany, the canton of Gütersloh in North Rhine-Westphalia went into lockdown again until 30 June. In Austria, the wearing of masks will no longer be compulsory in catering services from 1 July. In Spain, the border with Portugal reopens and the quarantine measures are lifted on 1 July. In Poland, the first round of the presidential election was held on 28 June. In the United Kingdom, restaurants, pubs, hairdressing salons, gyms, cinemas, museums, libraries and places of worship reopen on 4 July. In Ireland, public gatherings of up to 50 people are now allowed, with crèches reopening on 29 June. The EU's external borders are due to reopen for 14 countries on 1 July.

In France, the government launched a call for expressions of interest (AMI) to stimulate investment and modernisation in the automotive sector and the airline KLM received a €3.4 billion loan from the Dutch authorities. In Germany, the government has presented a €500 million plan to support companies hiring apprentices. In Spain, the government has presented new support measures for the agricultural sector of €25 million to promote the consumption of domestic food products and the support measures for the self-employed have been extended until 30 September. In Poland, the government has announced a plan to support the health system with 100 billion zlotys (€22 million). In the United Kingdom, the government has made £22 million (€26.4 million) available for associations dealing with domestic and sexual violence and £200 million (€240 million) for innovative businesses.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel received French President Emmanuel Macron at Meseberg Castle on 29 June to prepare for the European Council on 17 and 18 July and the German Council Presidency starting on 1 July. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to reach an early agreement with their partners on the Recovery Plan and the next Multiannual Financial Framework. "The cohesion of Europe and the functioning of the Single Market are at stake", stressed Chancellor Merkel.

On 24 June, the Commission published its report on the evaluation of EU data protection rules. It notes that 69% of Europeans are aware of the existence of the GDPR, and that data protection authorities have seen their budgets and staff strengthened. It also considers that in terms of governance, the one-stop-shop system is working well, with 141 draft decisions between May 2018 and December 2019, 79 of which have resulted in a final decision. The Commission now wishes to develop international mechanisms for the transfer of secure data, as well as to negotiate data protection agreements with its international partners.

On 24 June the Commission presented its budget proposal for 2021. This budget will be the first of the next multiannual financial framework and the first budget without a UK contribution. The Commission is proposing a total expenditure of €388 billion, of which €166.7 billion for the annual budget and €211 billion under the 'Next generation EU' recovery plan. In addition, it is proposing €133 billion in loans, also as part of the Recovery Plan.

The Council and Parliament reached an agreement on 23 June on the Regulation concerning the reorganisation and rescue of clearing houses. The aim of the regulation is to reduce systemic risks on European financial markets by limiting the risk of failure of clearing houses, which act as intermediaries in market transactions. The regulation provides for the establishment of colleges of cross-border resolution authorities and a three-stage recovery protocol to limit the risk of failure upstream, as well as to limit the cost to the taxpayer if failure cannot be avoided.

On 24 June the Council endorsed the postponement of the application of new rules on the exchange of tax information between Member States due to the pandemic. Tax administrations will have a further 6 months to exchange information on financial accounts whose beneficiaries are taxable in another member state and on cross-border tax arrangements. If necessary, this period may be extended by 3 months. As regards the e-commerce VAT scheme, the Council decided to postpone its implementation until July 2021.

Three candidates have stepped forward to succeed Mario Centeno as President of the Eurogroup: Nadia Calvino of Spain, Paschal Donohoe of Ireland and Pierre Gramegna of Luxembourg. The election will be held on 9 July by a simple majority of the euro area finance ministers.

On 25 June the Council adopted its conclusions on the future relationship between the Union and the United Kingdom. It noted the United Kingdom's wish to end the transitional period on 31 December and reiterated its wish to maintain the deepest possible relationship with the United Kingdom. The Council reiterated its confidence in the Union's negotiator, Michel Barnier, and supported his resolve to step up negotiations. The Council will closely monitor the implementation of the withdrawal agreement, in particular as regards citizens' rights and the protocol on the Irish border. Finally, it calls on all public and private actors to prepare for all possibilities, including the failure of the negotiations.

The Advocate General of the Court of Justice ruled on 25 June that Hungary does not fulfil its obligations in the field of asylum. It takes too long to process asylum applications. Neither the processing of applications in detention camps at the border, nor the accommodation of applicants in these camps for more than 4 weeks is compatible with European law, as is the systematic placement in detention camps and the lack of guarantees on the right to remain in Hungary during the asylum procedure. The Advocate General, whose opinion is advisory, also takes the view that Hungary does not apply the Returns Directive to all persons residing illegally on its territory.

The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) published its annual report on asylum in the EU on 25 June. 738,425 asylum applications were lodged in 2019, an increase of 11%, for an acceptance rate of 40%. The states receiving the most applications were Germany (22%), France (17%) and Spain (16%). This increase is partly explained by the sharp rise in asylum applications from Colombian (+214%) and Venezuelan (+103%) citizens. This trend was confirmed during the first two months of 2020 with a 16% increase in asylum applications, before collapsing by 87% in April, due to the pandemic.

On 24 June, the Bioethics Committee of the Council of Europe launched its new action plan on human rights and technologies in biomedicine for the period 2020-2025. The action plan covers 4 areas: ensuring fair access to health care, integrating human rights in the development of technologies, setting up a guide to good practice, and strengthening cooperation and communication.

In a report on the 2008 Maritime Strategy Framework Directive, published on 25 June, the Commission notes that the overall state of Europe's marine environments has improved: almost all North Atlantic fishing grounds are considered healthy, and many marine sites are regenerating. However, almost half of Europe's coasts are suffering from eutrophication, the number of plastics and chemicals in the seas is increasing and fishing sites in the Mediterranean remain too polluted.

On 23 June the Commission published the 2020 Innovation Scoreboard, which provides an analysis of innovation performance in the Union and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of Member States. It notes that Europe's performance improved in 2019, surpassing the US for the second year, although it remains below the performance of South Korea, Australia and Japan. Sweden, Finland and Denmark remain the most innovative Member States.

According to the Commission's report on the evaluation of Member States' first air emission control programmes, published on 26 June, the fight to combat air pollution must be improved in order to achieve the objectives set for 2020 and 2030, and to meet the zero pollution target of the Green Pact. Efforts are particularly necessary in the area of agriculture.

Until 1 November, the Maillol Museum in Paris is presenting "Esprit es-tu là", an exhibition devoted to the spiritualist artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a movement that links art with magic and the afterlife.

The Sorolla Museum in Madrid is extending an exhibition devoted to the drawings of Joaquin Soralla, a painter of the Impressionist period, until 30 August.

The Sculpture Museum in the Krolikarnia Palace in Warsaw presents "Urszula Broll. Atman means breath", a retrospective of this artist, who died at the beginning of the year, which evokes the relationship between man and nature, mysticism and Zen philosophy.

The Hamburg Kunsthalle is hosting two exhibitions during the summer. One, which runs until 2 August, is devoted to the theme of mourning and loss in contemporary art. The second, "Unfinished Stories", explores how artists since the 1960s have dealt with the connection between individuals, society and the passage of time.