Since 9 August, Belarusians have been protesting against the result of the rigged presidential election and demanding the departure of Alexander Lukashenko, whom the Union no longer recognises as president and who is subject to sanctions. To follow this crisis, the Foundation offers you a chronology of events and links to European responses and initiatives.

The 2020 edition of the "Schuman Report on Europe, the State of the Union", a reference work for European decision-makers, published by Marie B, is available in electronic format in French and English. It contains contributions by the highest personalities and the best experts and offers a comprehensive view of the European Union and analyses the challenges facing Europe.

On 25 November, the Commission presented a new action plan on gender equality and women's empowerment in the world. 85% of the measures undertaken in the Union's external actions should contribute to gender equality by 2025. Member States and civil society will also have to work together to develop concrete multilateral, national and regional actions such as combating gender-based violence and promoting the social, economic and political empowerment of women.

On 25 November, the Commission presented a pharmaceutical strategy that aims to ensure fair and affordable access to medicines and to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation capacity and sustainability of the EU pharmaceutical industry. The strategy aims to meet all patients' medical needs, develop safe and environmentally friendly medicines and improve crisis preparedness and response mechanisms by enhancing the security of supply of medicines.

The Commission presented its 2021-2027 Action Plan for the integration and inclusion of migrants on 24 November. The plan sets out areas for action, ranging from education and training to improving employment prospects, access to housing and health care for the 34 million people in the EU who have immigrated there.

On 25 November, the Commission proposed a regulation to facilitate data sharing within the Union and between different sectors of activity. The proposal includes new EU rules on neutrality, measures to facilitate the re-use of certain data held by the public sector and to allow citizens to control the use of the data they generate. More specific proposals on data spaces should follow in 2021.

On 25 November, the Commission proposed an increase in the authorised capital of the European Investment Fund to the tune of €2.87 billion. The European Investment Fund contributes to the development of the Union' s future economic recovery programme, InvestEU. The decision now needs to be approved by the Council and the Parliament.

On 25 November, the Commission presented an action plan to strengthen intellectual property rights for businesses in the EU to protect their innovations, fight counterfeiting and ensure fair competition at international level. The action plan is intended to provide financial assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises to manage and use their intellectual property and to step up the fight against industrial espionage.

In a resolution adopted on 26 November, MEPs call for transnational lists for the 2024 European elections proposing a candidate for president of the Commission, with a view to providing greater clarity for voters. They call for strengthening the voting rights of minorities, the homeless and prisoners to increase turnout, and for a ban on campaign funding by foreign bodies.

During a debate in the European Parliament on 25 November, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed the validation of the multiannual budget, vaccines, Brexit and climate policy. She called on Hungary and Poland to end blockades and to turn to the European Court of Justice if they wanted to challenge the compliance of the rule of law conditionality mechanism with the treaties.

In a resolution voted on 25 November, MEPs denounce the "growing trend of intimidation to silence journalists" and call on the Commission to assess, as part of its annual report on the rule of law, the transparency of media ownership, as well as private and government interference in the press in each Member State.

In a resolution adopted on 25 November, MEPs call on the Commission to revise its industrial strategy, presented in March 2020 ahead of the closures and the recovery plan. MEPs call for the new strategy to promote the recapitalisation of companies, saving jobs and adapting production to the "new norm" of the post-COVID era. In a second phase, the strategy should contribute to the transformation and resilience of European industry, under the banner of the digital and environmental transitions.

In a resolution on the review of the EU's trade policy adopted on 26 November, MEPs support the WTO modernisation process, call for a plurilateral agreement on e-commerce, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and call for more widespread use of the euro in international trade. MEPs are calling for the establishment of a strategic stockpile of essential goods on EU territory and diversification of supply sources.

On 26 November, MEPs condemned the reopening of the town of Varosha, in the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus. They called for the European Council to take sanctions against Turkey.

On 27 November, the Ministers for Research discussed the Commission's proposals for a new European Research Area (ERA). They expressed their support for a 3% of GDP target for research and development (R&D) and the need to strengthen European partnerships and cooperation between higher education institutions. They expressed their willingness to see the Horizon Europe research programme validated within the framework of the multi-annual financial framework.

On 30 November, the Ministers of Economy and Finance of the Eurozone finalised the reform of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), which must be ratified by the Member States. The reform establishes a common safety net (backstop) for the Single Resolution Fund (SRF), which will complement the banking union and ensure that a bank failure does not harm the economy. This "backstop" provides a double safety net in case the "single resolution mechanism" is insufficient. It will be operational in early 2022, two years ahead of its original date.

The Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) notes in a report published on 27 November that Greece has not implemented its recommendations and calls on the country to strengthen its criminal legislation. GRECO regrets that prosecutors can continue to avoid prosecuting corruption crimes and that gaps remain in the criminalisation of the passive bribery of public officials.

The Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities published a report on 25 November on the protection of minorities by European States. The report shows that the rise of extremist and xenophobic parties in Europe is increasing the exclusion of minorities. Even though legislation and official structures allow for better representation and integration of minorities, obstacles still exist. The Committee advises States to assist minorities by addressing poverty, literacy and social inclusion as a priority.

The Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's body of constitutional experts, issued an urgent opinion on the draft reform of the Bulgarian Constitution on 23 November. It calls for the amendments relating to the reform of the justice system and the public prosecutor's office to be submitted to public debate. It considers that the reduction in the number of deputies from 240 to 120, "seems to have been chosen arbitrarily, without an exhaustive assessment of the consequences of this reduction on the Bulgarian political system". It welcomes the abolition of the full Supreme Judicial Council and the creation of independent councils for judges, prosecutors and investigators.

On 26 November, the OECD released third quarter figures for international merchandise trade in G20 countries, up 21.6 per cent for exports and 18.1 per cent for imports compared to the second quarter. However, international trade remains 5% below its pre-pandemic level in the fourth quarter of 2019. The EU experienced a similar recovery with an increase in exports of 27.4% and 22.4% for imports.

On 30 November, the OECD published a report on regional disparities in the means to fight the pandemic and its effects on the economy. The report warns of disparities in access to healthcare, with metropolitan regions having an average of 10 hospital beds per 1000 inhabitants, twice as many as rural areas, and this gap is widening with a 6% drop in the number of beds in metropolitan areas compared to 22% in rural areas.

On 24 November the OECD published its report which it presented to G20 leaders on 21-22 November. The report recommends that governments maintain fiscal and monetary measures as long as the crisis lasts to cushion the shock to economies. In preparation for the post-Covid-19 period, the OECD encourages countries to increase public and private investment in health, digital transition, lowering carbon emissions, education and training for young people and the low-skilled.

On 25 November, the Commission published a report on the application of the Schengen rules since 2015, proposing operational measures to improve the Schengen evaluation mechanism. While the overall assessment is positive, Member States' border management does not yet guarantee a uniform level of control at the EU's external border, due to divergent national practices, particularly in Spain and Greece.

The report on the rule of law, published for the first time by the Commission in September, intends to be a comprehensive review of the rule of law in all Member States, without exception. The discussion it generates should provide a better understanding of the situation in each country, in all its complexity and in its entirety, and thus contribute to the creation of a European public space, according to Frédéric Petit, Member of Parliament for the French abroad.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is holding an exhibition of Kandinsky's paintings and works on paper until 23 May 2021. It follows the artist's development, from his creations reflecting his interest in the expressive power of colour to his experiments with pigments and sand.

Until 15 March 2021, the Centre Pompidou in Metz is hosting an exhibition entitled "Marc Chagall, le passeur de lumière" (Marc Chagall, the Emissary of Light), featuring models of the artist's stained-glass windows, matched with a collection of paintings, sculptures, ceramics and drawings from the Centre Pompidou, the Musée national Marc Chagall, international museums and private collections. The exhibition is accessible virtually.

The City Museum of Berlin and several others museums in the German capital are joining forces until 31 May 2021 to offer the online platform "1000x Berlin" which brings together 1000 photographs retracing the history and emblematic places of the city. These photographs, organised in 150 thematic series, show the wider and more intimate history of Berlin. The platform offers the public the opportunity to send in personal photographs to add to the collection.

The Elbe Philharmonic and the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg are offering numerous concerts online that can be watched free of charge in streaming, from Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 9 to Helena Hauff's electro music and jazz with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

During the lockdown, the White Cube Gallery in London, closed until December 3, is presenting, in its viewing room until January 19, 2021, "Rear Window" on the theme of voyeurism, a tribute to the author of "Fenêtre sur cour" (Window on the Courtyard), but also a strong allusion to life in confinement.

The Paris Philharmonic presents Penthesilea, Pascal Dusapin's concert, in binaural listening on its website. The result of joint work with the German playwright Beate Haeckl, the libretto is a "rewriting-variation" of one of Heinrich von Kleist's most complex and violent pieces, Penthesilea (1808), which was already the inspiration for a symphonic poem by Hugo Wolf.

The National Museum in Warsaw has unveiled a new digital portal containing 60,000 of the 800,000 works in its collections, many of which are kept in reserve due to their great fragility.