Curfews, shop closures, movement restrictions or confinement, European countries are taking steps to deal with the upsurge of the pandemic and are trying to coordinate their actions. The Foundation offers you a summary of the health measures in place and travel conditions across Europe. An indispensable resource, regularly updated, to understand the situation.

The Union has launched the procedure to sanction Alexander Lukashenko, whom it no longer recognises as president after the "rigged" election of 9 August. Meanwhile, the Belarusian people continue to protest against his rule and for the release of political prisoners. To follow this crisis, the Foundation offers you a chronology of events and links to European reactions and initiatives.

The Foundation, in partnership with a European university research network initiated by the University of Lille in 2016 on the subject of "Parliament and Time", is launching a new series of reports which aim to report on "the impact of the health crisis on the functioning of national parliaments" in Europe. This week's publications focus on Bulgaria, Latvia and Sweden.

Interior ministers adopted a declaration on the fight against terrorism on 13 November. Five years after the attacks in Paris and at their first meeting since those in Conflans-Saint-Honorine, Nice and Vienna, the ministers considered that the cross-border nature of the threat requires a European response. They call for a new European police partnership, more resources for Europol, more European support for societal initiatives against extremism, more measures against the financing of terrorism, faster expulsions of terrorist suspects and the integration of biometric data into the Schengen Information System (SIS). They also held a policy debate on the main aspects of the proposal for a pact on migration and asylum presented by the Commission in September.

Following a preliminary investigation launched in 2019, the Commission found on 10 November that e-commerce giant Amazon was abusing its dominant position and distorting competition in online retail markets. A statement of objections has been sent to Amazon, which will be able to respond before the investigation is closed. The Commission has also opened a new investigation into the preferential treatment of commercial offers using Amazon's logistics and delivery services, which could constitute a case of unfair competition.

On 11 November, the Commission signed a contract for the purchase of 300 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine with the German and American pharmaceutical groups BioNTech and Pfizer. Pfizer had announced on 9 November that the phase 3 trial of their vaccine, BNT162b2, had provided proof of 90% efficacy. This is the fourth contract signed by the Commission, after those with AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV. Negotiations are still ongoing with CureVac and Moderna. On the occasion of the Paris Peace Forum on 12 November, the European Commission announced an increase in the EU's contribution to the WHO COVAX mechanism from €400 million to €500 million to ensure that low-income countries "in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific" have access to the future vaccine against COVID-19. COVAX is a collaboration of 184 countries.

On 10 November, the Commission announced that it had issued €14 billion of so-called social bonds to finance the European SURE programme to combat unemployment following the economic and health crisis. This issue included €8 billion of bonds redeemable in 2025 and €6 billion redeemable in 2050. This is the second issue after the €17 billion issued on 21 October. These AAA-rated bonds meet precise criteria and must be used solely to finance social measures.

In a joint letter sent on 12 November to Margrethe Vestager, Vice-President of the Commission in charge of Competition, 165 European and American companies accuse Google of unfair practices and ask the Commission to take action against the platform, to which it already imposed a fine of €2.42 billion in 2017 for favouring its services on its search engine.

On 13 November, the Commission published a new consumer agenda aimed at strengthening consumer protection during the pandemic and beyond. The agenda focuses on 5 areas: the green transition, by providing incentives to repair products and increasing information on the sustainability of products; digital transformation, in particular by combating malicious commercial practices online; respect for consumer rights; the specific needs of certain consumers such as children or the elderly; international cooperation in the field of consumer affairs.

In a resolution on the protection of European democratic values in the Member States during the pandemic, adopted on 13 November, MEPs call for a temporary and proportionate use of emergency measures that undermine democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. In particular, they call for an end to abusive restrictions on democratic demonstrations and the adoption of laws that impact on fundamental rights without democratic debate. The Commission is also invited to take legal action against Member States whose measures taken during the first wave of the pandemic have undermined the fundamental values of the Union.

In a resolution on the investment plan for a sustainable Europe and the financing of the Green Deal, adopted on 13 November, MEPs call for public investment to respect the principle of "no significant harm" and to link social objectives to it, in order to make the Green Deal socially just. They call for the phasing out of public and private investment in polluting economic activities where viable alternatives exist.

The Council adopted its position on 11 November on the future European space policy. It calls on the European space industry to work for fair global competition and an open economy based on multilateralism and reciprocity ... The Council invites the Commission, the Member States and the European Space Agency to coordinate their efforts to achieve the policy's objectives.

The Council presented its proposals on intellectual property on 10 November, expressing its readiness to consider a system of geographical indication protection for non-agricultural products and calling for better involvement of online platforms and other hosting providers in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy. With regard to the protection of industrial designs, the Council calls for account to be taken of new technologies, complementarity between national systems and the phenomenon of transit through the territory of the Union of goods infringing a design.

Trade ministers met on 9 November to discuss the Commission's trade policies (TPR), the WTO and relations with the US and China. They reiterated the need for reciprocity in the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) negotiations with China and their commitment to a constructive trade agenda with the US. The TPR will lead to a Commission Communication setting out the trade policy guidelines for the next 5 years, in early 2021.

Hungary and Poland said they wanted to block the adoption by the Council on 16 November of a decision approving the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 and the recovery plan, as well as a decision on the Union's own resources. Both countries are contesting the establishment of a conditionality mechanism on the rule of law.

On 16 November, agriculture ministers discussed food wastage caused by the pandemic and the pressures on the agricultural market, sustainable food and swine fever in Africa. Ministers asked the Commission to provide more information on the implementation of the strategy from farm to table and the stakeholders involved in the strategy. The management of mink infections by Covid-19 in Denmark and the health risks involved was also discussed.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) announced on 11 November that it would increase its level of support for climate action and projects promoting sustainability to a minimum of 50% of its investments by 2025, for a total of at least €1 trillion over the next ten years. From 2021 onwards, no more "climate-damaging" projects will be financed by the EIB, so as to be in "full compliance" with the Paris Climate Agreement.

On 12 November, the Council of Europe launched the first Observatory on History Teaching in Europe, whose mission will be to observe how history is taught in all participating countries, to facilitate the exchange of good practice and mutual learning. The Observatory, one of whose initiators is Alain Lamassoure, Chairman of the Foundation's Scientific Committee, wants to play a role in "resisting the manipulation and distortion of history" and in "promoting peace and dialogue". Of the 17 participating countries, which include Russia, Turkey and Serbia, 9 are members of the European Union (France, Spain, Greece, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Ireland and Portugal).

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Russia on 10 November for degrading treatment and violations of the right to liberty and security, the right to a fair trial and freedom of assembly, in connection with the violent arrest of opponents Alexei Navalny and Vadim Gunko on 6 May 2012 in Moscow. The Court found that the brutality of the arrest and the administrative conviction of the two applicants had had a deterrent effect on protest rallies and engagement in political opposition in Russia.

The 8th edition of the European Theatre Festival "Voilà! Europe 2020" which takes place every year in London, is being held online until 21 November. Thirteen plays are on offer, as well as meetings with artists and directors.

The Centre Pompidou in Paris has set up its first virtual reality exhibition, on the border between art and digital, dedicated to the artist Joan Miró. The exhibition includes a reading of the famous triptych Bleu I, Bleu II and Bleu III, which the public can discover by moving around as they wish, without being constrained by a digital exhibition visit generally limited to 360° views.

Despite the closure of museums and theatres on 2 November in Germany, cultural life is being reorganised online. The Berlinartlink, an online art magazine, offers a regularly updated list of German online events, exhibitions and shows. It includes the 11th edition of the Berlin Biennial of Contemporary Art and the Inter-Film Festival dedicated to short films.

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Turin is hosting the virtual exhibition "Invisible Archaeology", which retraces numerous archaeological discoveries, such as papyrus and mummies. In videos, researchers explain the techniques of archaeological excavations that have helped them discover the history of the objects in the museum's collection.

In Vienna, several museums such as the Natural History Museum, the Jewish Museum or the Leopold Museum offer virtual tours and exhibitions. The Museum of Art History is also offering online readings, podcasts and other services on its website.