According to official results collected in 99.7% of polling stations, outgoing Polish President Andrzej Duda beat Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski in the second round of the presidential election held on 12 July. Andrzej Duda would thus receive 51.2% of the votes.

The 2020 edition of the "Schuman Report on Europe, the State of the Union", a reference work for European decision-makers, has now been published in French in hard copy, published by Marie B. It is also available in electronic format in French and English. With contributions from leading personalities and experts, together with original maps and annotated statistics, it offers a comprehensive view of the European Union and analyses the challenges facing Europe.

In France, the state of health emergency ended on 10 July. In Belgium, the wearing of masks has been made mandatory in shops, cinemas, places of worship, museums and libraries since 11 July. In Germany, the wearing of masks is still compulsory in public transport and retail shops and is strongly recommended for holiday activities. In Austria, the government is preparing measures to be taken in the event of a new health crisis. In Spain, the wearing of masks in public areas in Catalonia has been mandatory again since 9 July. In the United Kingdom, outdoor swimming pools, theatres, opera, dance and music performances resumed their activities on 11 July. Gymnasiums, leisure centres and indoor swimming pools will reopen on 25 July. In Ireland, the next phase of ending lockdown is scheduled for 20 July.

On 8 July, the Commission presented its strategy for integrating the European energy system and increasing the production of clean hydrogen by 2030, and deploying this fuel on a large scale between 2030 and 2050. It launched the European Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, with the aim of building up a pool of investment projects to meet hydrogen production targets.

On 8 July, German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented the priorities of the German Council Presidency to MEPs in the presence of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She stressed that the main objective of the Presidency was the economic recovery of the Union and that its priorities were fundamental rights, solidarity and cohesion, climate change, digital transition and Europe's role in the world. The representatives of the parliamentary groups replied that they expect ambitious stimulus, promoting the rule of law and supporting the ecological transition.

On 7 July, interior ministers discussed police cooperation on immigration and rescue at sea and the fight against smugglers. They agreed on the importance of developing existing police cooperation tools and increasing the budget of Europol and Frontex so that they can use new technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analysis. On rescue at sea and migration, the ministers would like to see the establishment of a sustainable framework rather than ad hoc negotiations for each migratory crisis, as well as the strengthening of cooperation with third countries, particularly those in the Maghreb.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti participated on 10 and 12 July in two videoconferences under the aegis of France and Germany, then the European Union, to resume the dialogue for mutual recognition and normalisation of relations between their two countries. A meeting is to be held in Brussels on 16 July.

In a ruling delivered on 9 July, the Court of Justice ruled that a rightholder may not request the telephone numbers, e-mail address and IP address of a user who has illegally distributed a work of which he owns the intellectual property. A German company asked YouTube for this information concerning users who had illegally broadcast on the platform two films to which it owned the rights. According to the Court, the 2004 directive on intellectual property allows rightholders to obtain only the physical address of infringing internet users.

On 10 July, the Finance Ministers of the euro area and the European Central Bank approved the accession of Bulgaria and Croatia to the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II), the first step in the process of joining the euro.

On 8 July MEPs approved the appointment of Frenchman François-Louis Michaud as Executive Director of the European Banking Authority, despite the negative opinion of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, which criticised the absence of women in the selection process. François-Louis Michaud, currently Deputy Director General at the European Central Bank, has been appointed for a five-year term.

On 6 July, the Council of Europe Commission against Racism (ECRI) warned against racial profiling by law enforcement officials. It considers this practice to be a stigmatising and humiliating racial discrimination for the targeted communities, which can lead to institutionalised racism. It recommends that the recruitment of law enforcement officials be modified to ensure that they are representative of the population of each country and that independent monitoring bodies be set up.

According to figures published by Eurostat on 10 July, the population of the Union stood at 448 million on 1 January 2020. Leaving aside the departure of the United Kingdom, this represents an increase of 900 000 inhabitants compared to 2019, thanks to a positive migratory balance. Indeed, the natural variation of the Union's population has been negative for 8 years, with more deaths than births. Germany remains the most populous state, and Malta the least populous, despite having recorded the highest growth. The state with the largest decrease in population is Bulgaria (-7‰).

On 9 July the Commission published the results of a new Eurobarometer on citizenship of the Union. A large majority of Europeans are aware of the notion of the "Union citizen" (91%) and are also well informed about their rights to vote, to lodge a complaint with the institutions, or to reside in other Member States. As far as free movement is concerned, 84% of those questioned believe that it is generally advantageous for their country's economy.

On 9 July the Commission published its annual report on competition policy. In 2019, it adopted 15 decisions to sanction antitrust practices and finalised 4 cases under the voluntary cooperation procedure. As a result, 382 mergers were reported to the Commission, which processed 362 mergers and intervened in 19 cases. The Commission dealt with 308 state aid cases. It is continuing its work of assessing competition policy, in particular to adapt it to digital markets and to combat subsidies from third countries to their companies operating in the Union.

The Royal Academy of Arts in London will reopen to the public on 16 July, with the exhibition "Picasso and Paper", which until 2 August will display 300 drawings and studies by the artist, including preparatory work for the Demoiselles d'Avignon and Guernica.