To cope with an increase in cases and a more virulent strain of the virus, European countries are taking new measures or extending those already in place, as the vaccination campaign continues to develop. The Foundation offers you a summary of the health measures in place and travel conditions across Europe. It is an indispensable; regularly updated resource, to help you understand the situation...read more

The Foundation, in partnership with a European university research network, is publishing a series of reports studying the impact of the health crisis on the functioning of thirteen national parliaments in Europe (Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and on that of the European Parliament.

Protests continue in Belarus, on a small scale because of the winter and repression. The population has risen up against the result of the rigged presidential election of 9 August, 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.

On the occasion of the European Space Conference on 12 and 13 January in Brussels, the Commission announced that €300 million from the European Investment Fund (EIF) will be devoted to two funds focusing on space technologies. Orbital Ventures invests in space technologies (cryptography, data storage and processing, geolocation, earth observation and space hardware) while Primo Space invests in space projects and promotes the marketing of breakthrough innovations in the European space industry.

The Commission concluded on 12 January preliminary discussions with the European biotech company Valneva for the purchase of 60 million doses of a potential vaccine against COVID-19. The Commission has already concluded contracts with 6 laboratories and entered into preliminary discussions with a seventh.

Visiting Lisbon on 15 January with several Commissioners to mark the start of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council, the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed the priority for the Union to successfully vaccinate its citizens. She welcomed the alignment of the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency with those of the Commission, particularly on economic recovery and the green and digital transitions. A Social Summit will be held in Porto on 7 May.

On 12 January, the Commission published reports on the implementation of the agreement between the European Union and certain countries (United States, Australia) on the processing and transfer of passenger name record (PNR) data by air carriers to customs and border protection services.

The Commission has published a document which explains the content of the trade and partnership agreement concluded in December 2020 between the European Union and the United Kingdom, and provides extensive data on trade between the two parties.

The 19 euro area finance ministers met on 18 January to discuss national recovery plans and macroeconomic imbalances. They stressed the need for economic coordination and the unique opportunity provided by the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility.

On 16 January, the French, German and British foreign ministers asked Iran to renounce the production of uranium metal, which would mark a new violation of the 2015 agreements.

In a statement on behalf of the Union, High Representative Josep Borrell on 18 January condemned the detention of Alexei Navalny on the eve of his return to Moscow and called for his "immediate release". He stressed that the detention of A. Navalny "confirms a constant negative trend characterised by the shrinking space for opposition, civil society and independent voices in the Russian Federation". A. Navalny had just returned from Germany where he had received medical treatment after the attempted assassination by poisoning attributed to the Russian authorities. He was sentenced on 18 January to 30 days in prison for violating the conditions of a parole granted prior to his poisoning.

The Advocate General of the Court of Justice ruled on 13 January that the GDPR allows the data protection authority of a Member State to take legal action against an infringement committed by an undertaking having its seat in another Member State. The Belgian data protection authority had requested in 2015 that Facebook, based in Ireland, be ordered to stop placing cookies without its consent.

On 14 January, the Court of Justice recalled that the authorities of a country wishing to implement a decision to return an unaccompanied minor must ensure the existence of adequate reception facilities in the State of return.

On the occasion of the next meeting of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly on 22 January, the President of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble, and the President of the National Assembly, Richard Ferrand, signed a column in Ouest France recalling the importance of Franco-German relations.

On 14 January, the Greek Parliament approved the purchase of 18 Rafale fighter aircraft from Dassault Aviation. The contract, worth €2.5 billion, includes the delivery of six new and twelve second-hand aircraft by 2023.

On 12 January, the Council of Europe's Group of States against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) issued guidelines to assist States in the fight against trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation. It recommends making it a criminal offence to use the services of a trafficked person, improving working conditions in sectors prone to employ trafficked labour, and improving the protection of migrant workers.

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Dunja Mijatovic, issued her observations on 11 January regarding the return of Syrian migrants from Croatia to Bosnia Herzegovina. She underlines that the Croatian authorities did not use an official procedure for the return of these migrants, nor did they identify the persons concerned or assess their particular situation. It also states that it is aware of evidence of ill-treatment of migrants by Croatian law enforcement officials in the context of collective removals.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled on 14 January that the Versailles Court of Appeal's injunction to Médiapart to remove from their site the recordings of Liliane Bettencourt's private conversations did not violate Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights on freedom of expression. It considers that the publication of the illegal recordings violates the right to privacy and that in this case the limitation of freedom of expression was justified.

On 14 January, the European Union requested the establishment of a panel within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the elimination of illegal export restrictions imposed by Indonesia on raw materials for the production of stainless steel. It considers that these measures illegally restrict access for the European steel industry.

The EU's trade surplus stood at €25.3bn in November 2020, up 27% on November 2019 (€20.2bn), according to figures published by Eurostat on 15 January.

On January 23rd, from 9pm onwards, Radio France is organising HyperNuit, a 6-hour live event to support the music industry. Around a hundred artists from the French scene will be present for live broadcasts, original artistic encounters and testimonials by musicians. The event will be broadcast on France Inter, France Musique, France Bleu, Fip and Mouv'.

The Department of Culture and Tourism of the Municipality of Naples offers daily concerts at 2 pm and 6 pm, recorded in the city's Palazzo dei Arte and broadcast on the Facebook page Napoli suona ancora (Naples plays again).

The Marlborough Gallery is showing twenty prints and etchings by Lucien Freud and Francis Bacon on the theme of "The Human Condition" until 27th February.

Glasgow's Celtic music festival, the Celtic Connection, will be held online until 2 February. This annual festival brings together around 100 musicians from all over the world and promotes Celtic music in all its forms, both traditional and contemporary.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna which hosts the largest collection in the world of paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, including the Tower of Babel, is presenting a 3D exhibition devoted to the Flemish painter.

The historical library of Zante (Zakynthos), is reopening its doors after being renovated. Established in 1628, this public library is the oldest in Greece and houses 50,000 rare editions and 20,000 books from the last decades. It hopes to attract the interest of private sponsors in order to make up for the lack of staff and to enable the maintenance of the rare editions.

On 18 January, the Commission launched the design phase of the new European Bauhaus, a space for collaboration, dialogue and innovation aimed at "bringing the Green Pact into the home" and developing a sustainable lifestyle. During this first phase the concept will be defined, exploring initial ideas and identifying the most urgent needs and challenges. The Commission is calling on "Europe's architects, engineers, designers, scientists, students, entrepreneurs and creative minds" to participate.