While the vaccination campaign continues in Europe, Member States are maintaining the restrictions and curfews. The Foundation offers you a summary of the health measures in place and travel conditions across Europe. An indispensable and regularly updated resource for you to understand the situation.

In view of the continuing protest movement, the Belarusian regime has stepped up its repression, with raids on journalists and association leaders on February 17 and the sentencing of two journalists on February 18. These acts were condemned by the Union and the Council of Europe. To follow this crisis, the Foundation offers you a chronology of events and links to European reactions and initiatives.

On February 17, the Commission launched the "HERA incubator", a European plan for bio-defense preparedness against coronavirus variants. The plan aims to prepare Member States for health emergencies, speed up vaccine production and accelerate the regulatory approval of suitable vaccines. It will involve researchers, biotech companies and public authorities in Europe and worldwide.

On February 18, the Union's Health Security Committee approved a common list of 19 rapid antigenic tests, some of which will be mutually recognized in all Member States, and a common set of data to be included in certificates of results.

On February 18, the Commission presented its new strategy for trade policy, which aims to be green and digital, strengthening multilateralism and placing the rules of sustainability and equity at the centre of attention. The strategy calls for a reform of the WTO to make it greener, fairer and less burdensome. The Commission wants to be firmer on the implementation and monitoring of trade agreements and wants to combat unfair trade.

On February 22, the Commission presented an action plan on synergies between the civil, space and defense industries to strengthen Europe's technological lead and support its industrial base. The plan has three objectives: to increase complementarity between relevant EU programmes and instruments, to encourage European funding for research and development, and to facilitate the use of research results from civil industry and innovation.

On February 19, the Ministers of Education discussed the practices to be implemented to ensure access for all to education and training and social inclusion, particularly in the context of the pandemic. They examined the draft strategic framework for European cooperation towards a European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030).

On February 22, the Ministers in charge of Fisheries discussed the future negotiations with the United Kingdom on fishing quotas after Brexit. They indicated that they wanted a rapid agreement respecting the fair conditions and the three principles of the Common Fisheries Policy: social, environmental and economic.

On February 17, the Commission presented its proposals to strengthen the defense of the Union's values and interests within the multilateral system. This involves supporting the modernization efforts of global organizations such as the WTO, WHO and the UN in the areas of taxation, the digital environment and artificial intelligence, but also establishing new partnerships with third countries, regional organizations, as well as dialogue with the private sector, social actors and civil society to develop a rules-based multilateralism.

The G7 leaders met by videoconference on February 19. They called for solidarity and strengthened international cooperation to defeat Covid-19 and to combat climate change. They pledged to decide on concrete actions on these priorities at the G7 summit to be held in the United Kingdom next June.

The Cooperation Council with Tajikistan met on February 19 to review the development of bilateral relations and the country's political and socio-economic developments, as well as trade relations, investment and energy. The parties discussed the impact of the pandemic and the Union's financial support during the health crisis. Good governance, the rule of law, human rights and the strengthening of civil society were also discussed.

Foreign ministers, meeting on February 22, discussed relations with Russia and agreed to prepare sanctions against those responsible for the "persecution" of the opponent Alexei Navalny. They exchanged with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on cooperation with the United States. They discussed the situation in Iran and recent developments in the nuclear field. They agreed on a series of short- and long-term actions in response to the situation in Hong Kong, and expressed their readiness to apply sanctions against the military responsible for the coup in Burma.

The representatives of the Member States appointed 4 Judges and an Advocate General to the Court of Justice on February 18 for a 5-year term of office beginning on October 7. They also appointed a new Judge to the General Court of the European Union until August 31, 2025.

The mobile robot Perseverance successfully landed on Mars on February 18 with the aim of finding evidence of ancient life on the planet, thanks to rock and soil samples that will be taken there. The Mars 2020 mission is an international cooperation led by NASA, in which Europeans are participating. The European Space Agency has provided the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which helps Perseverance communicate with Earth. The French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and the University of Valladolid, together with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (USA) have designed the SuperCam, a tool for analyzing rocks. The MEDA station was designed by the Centro de Astrobiología, (CAB) in Spain.

On February 17, the European Court of Human Rights called for the immediate release of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny. The judges took into account "the nature and extent of the risk to the applicant's life".

The site of the Centre Pompidou in Paris is offering until December 31 "Sounds like Kandinsky", a virtual exploration of the life and work of the painter of abstraction with, among other things, an interactive experience on the link between painting and music.

Until May 2, the Gallery d'Italia in Milan is hosting "Tiepolo. Venice, Milan, Europe", an exhibition of more than 70 works by the artist and his contemporaries, retracing his career, from his debut in Venice to the major commissions of the European Courts of Germany and Spain, and his experience in Milan.

Until April 5, the Leopold Museum in Vienna is hosting the exhibition "Twilight of Mankind" devoted to Viennese modernism between 1918 and 1938. The exhibition highlights 11 artists of this period such as Alfons Walde and Albin Egger, and their work on colours and their search for sobriety.

The Glasgow Film Festival will be held online from February 24th to March 7th. South Korea is the country to be honored at this edition, with in particular The Man Standing Next, by director Woo Min-ho, a political thriller candidate for the Oscars. The festival also offers a selection of Scottish films.

For its 7th edition, the International Music Film Festival, FAME 2021, is taking place online on the mk2 Curiosity platform until February 25th. Nine films are in competition, 5 are presented out of competition and 3 associated programs can also be viewed.

Until May 9 the Mapfre Foundation of Madrid is offering a retrospective "The Landscape of the Face", devoted to the Russian painter Alexei von Jawlensky, whose art is inspired by German Expressionism and the contemplation of the face. Nearly one hundred works are presented, including a dialogue with works by André Derain, Henri Matisse and Gabriele Münter.