The Member States of the European Union are continuing the process of end of lockdown with the resumption of social and economic activities. Freedom of movement has been almost fully restored and since 1 July the external borders have been partially reopened. The Foundation offers you a summary of the measures taken and the timetable planned by each State. An indispensable resource for understanding the way out of the crisis and regaining a European "spirit".

Jean-Dominique Giuliani will be the guest of an online conference, on 7 July, on the theme of the European Union and the new post-Covid challenges, organised by EY in the webcast series "The day after".

Pascale Joannin, Executive Director of the Foundation, will give an online conference on 7 July at 5 pm, at the invitation of the Robert Schuman Institute in Budapest, on the theme of France in Europe and the French vision of the Covid-19 crisis and international affairs.

On 30 June the Council adopted a recommendation on the gradual lifting of temporary restrictions on non-essential travel within the Union. Since 1 July, travel has been open from and to the following countries (Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay) and China subject to conditions. However, Member States may restrict this list. The list of countries will be reviewed every two weeks on the basis of epidemiological criteria.

In France, the bill organising the end of the state of health emergency on 10 July has been adopted. Since 1 July, the borders of the Schengen area have been open to travellers from 15 countries, but Belgium has decided not to open its borders to them. In Spain, the city of Lerida in Catalonia and 14 cities in Galicia have been placed in lockdown again. In the United Kingdom, restaurants, pubs, hairdressing salons, gyms, cinemas, museums, libraries and places of worship reopened on 4 July. The city of Leicester has been placed in lockdown again and from 10 July, British travellers will no longer be placed in quarantine. The Prime Minister announced a plan (New Deal).

In France, the government has presented a plan to support local shops, the self-employed and craftsmen. In Germany, the government has released €5.4 million to support orchestras and has set up a system of state-guaranteed vouchers to support travel agencies. In Spain, the government has announced the creation of a €10 billion fund to ensure the solvency of strategic companies. In Poland, the government has lengthened the deadlines for paying property taxes and personal and corporate income taxes, and reduced the VAT rate on certain products. In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister announced a £17 billion (€20.4 billion) "New Deal" to build hospitals, schools and homes and renovate roads.

On 3 July, the Commission gave conditional marketing authorisation for Remdesivir, a drug that can be used in the treatment of Covid-19. This accelerated authorisation procedure follows recommendations by the European Medicines Agency approved by the Member States.

On 30 June, the Commission adopted the implementing regulation on wireless access points essential for the rapid deployment of 5G networks. As part of the new EU telecoms rules that enter into force in December 2018, the regulation specifies the technical characteristics of these installations, which must also comply with EU wave exposure limits.

On 30 June the Commission presented its plan to support the employment of young people, whose entry into the labour market has been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic and the crisis. With the NextGenerationEU instrument, €22 billion should be devoted to supporting youth employment. The Commission recommends modernising vocational education and training, as well as strengthening apprenticeship schemes and additional measures to support entrepreneurship.

At the end of the 5th round of negotiations with the United Kingdom, the Union's chief negotiator Michel Barnier considered that "serious differences remain". He stressed that the Union wanted guarantees of reciprocity for trade, a balanced and sustainable agreement for fishermen, and a single treaty with a dispute resolution body. Negotiations will resume the week of 20 July in London.

On 29 June, the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries discussed the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). They also discussed the Commission's report "Towards more sustainable fisheries: state of play and guidelines for 2021", and began discussions on setting annual fishing quotas. On the 30th, the Council agreed with Parliament to extend the rules of the Common Agricultural Policy until new rules enter into force at the end of 2022.

The Council adopted conclusions on Africa on 30 June, including the importance of the EU-Africa partnership, based on the guidelines "Towards a comprehensive strategy with Africa" issued in March. The conclusions emphasise in particular the importance of multilateralism and sustainable and inclusive development.

The fourth Brussels conference on the future of Syria and the region was held on 30 June under the co-chairmanship of the United Nations and the European Union. The conference, which brought together more than 80 countries and international organisations, resulted in the adoption of the Joint Declaration, which includes financial commitments of €4.9 billion for 2020 to help the region. The declaration also underlines the importance of the solidarity of the host countries and communities in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

Europol and Eurojust announced on 2 July the dismantling of several criminal networks in Europe, thanks to the infiltration of Encrochat mobiles and encrypted networks used by criminals. This operation was carried out jointly by the French gendarmerie, the Dutch police, Eurojust and Europol and ran from March to June 2020. The European agencies participated in the operation by financing it, providing investigators, analysts and experts, and coordinating the forces involved. The Dutch police announced the arrest of around 100 individuals, as well as the seizure of 8 tonnes of cocaine and 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine crystals.

Sixteen European banks from five countries announced on 2 July the launch of a new unified European payment system (EPI), with the support of the ECB. The aim is to create a new European standard for payments, both cross-border and domestic, capable of doing away with foreign providers such as Visa and Mastercard and newcomers such as Apple Pay.

France has decided to suspend its participation in the Sea Guardian mission, a NATO maritime security operation in the Mediterranean. This decision, confirmed on 1 July, comes after a Turkish ship threatened a French frigate with a missile launch in June. France expects NATO to respond to this incident among allies.

At the end of the Economic Meetings of Aix en Provence, exceptionally organized in Paris this year, the Circle of Economists published a roadmap to respond to the crisis. The 15 proposals, organized in 8 themes, represent the point of view of 300 personalities from the academic, economic, political and social world. The text proposes, among other things, to relaunch innovative productive sectors at European and French level and to build Europe's moral leadership.

On 29 June, the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) of the Council of Europe found violations of equal pay between women and men in 14 of the 15 countries applying the collective complaints procedure of the European Social Charter, i.e. all states except Sweden, despite the existence of satisfactory legislation in these states.

On 2 July, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a recommendation updating the 2006 European Prison Rules on prison management, staff and care of prisoners. The revision concerns the management of prisoners' files, the care of women and foreign nationals in detention, as well as the use of special security measures such as isolation, which can have a very negative effect on the physical and mental health of prisoners.

On 2 July Eurostat announced that the unemployment rate was 6.7% in the EU in May and 7.4% in the euro-zone. Young people continue to be the most affected by unemployment with a rate of 15.7% in the Union and 16% in the euro-zone. Eurostat also notes that women are more affected by unemployment than men, with an unemployment rate of 7.2%.

In a report on the European Arrest Warrant published on 2 July, the Commission notes that in 2018, almost 7 000 people were subject to cross-border surrender. However, there are still problems such as additional grounds for refusal, failure to meet deadlines, or lack of proportionality checks that could limit the effectiveness of the European Arrest Warrant.

On 3 July the Commission published the 2020 edition of its Single Market Scoreboard. It notes that the rules are unevenly applied across sectors, but that Member States are cooperating better with each other and better informing their businesses and citizens. In its comparison between Member States on the implementation of the single market, the Commission awarded 158 green, 107 yellow and 58 red cards. The best performing countries are Latvia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Slovakia.

On 30 June the Commission published its long-term forecasts for the EU budget for the period 2021-2025, taking into account the still ongoing negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Payments are expected to amount to € 866 billion over the first five years of the next MFF, 67% of which is made up of new spending programmes and 33% of which is made up of remaining commitments from the previous period.

Until August 30, the Laznia Contemporary Art Centre in Gdansk presents "Cobra", a series of drawings by Chilean artist Javier Rodriguez inspired by the history of his country and the theme of evil.

L'Institut d'art moderne (IVAM) de Valence (Espagne) propose jusqu'au 13 septembre une exposition sur l'évocation de l'orientalisme entre 1800 et 1956, et jusqu'au 12 octobre une exposition du sculpteur Jorge Peris.

The National Gallery in London, which reopens its doors on 8 July by reservation only, is showing an exhibition devoted to the Dutch Golden Age painter Nicolas Maes until 20 September, and until 17 January 2021 "Titian: Love, Desire, Death", which features canvases in which the Italian master interprets mythological tales.

Until 14 September, the gallery of the People's Palace in Berlin is devoting an exhibition to Christo, who died on 31 May, and to his wife Jeanne-Claude. The exhibition presents studies, drawings and models used to prepare the couple's projects since 1963, including the packaging of the Reichstag 25 years ago.