On 18th and 19th March the European Affairs Committee of the National Assembly in partnership with the Robert Schuman Foundation and the Jacques Delors Institute is organising a colloquium that will offer an opportunity to debate issues that are central to the European Union and to answer questions that are crucial to its future. The Chairman of the Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, will moderate a round table entitled "Defending Europe? The shortfalls of pacifism, the limits of Atlanticism"; the Managing Director, Pascale Joannin, will moderate a round table on "Is Europe geopolitically marginalised?"; the Chairman of the Scientific Council, Alain Lamassoure, will speak on budgetary democracy; Roza Thun, MEP and member of the Board of Governors, on the institutional model; and Sabine Thillaye, Chairwoman of the National Assembly's European Affairs Committee and member of the Board of Governors, on the involvement of the national parliaments,

On 9 March, the Commission published its "digital compass" for a digitally autonomous Union in 2030. Among the objectives set: basic digital skills for 80% of adults, access to digital infrastructure for all Europeans, the digital transformation of businesses and the digitalisation of public services. The Commission wants the EU to produce 20% of the world's advanced sustainable semiconductors by 2030 and have its own quantum computer. It proposes to develop a framework of digital principles to guarantee Europeans' rights.

On March 9, MEPs approved the InvestEU programme to support public and private companies in the face of the health crisis. The aim is to ensure access to strategic investment projects. 30% of the investments must be devoted to the fight against global warming. The programme is expected to generate €400 billion by 2027 and the European Investment Fund will receive €375 million to help implement it. The text is subject to final adoption by the Council.

The Council and Parliament reached agreement on 11 March on the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the period 2021-2027. The programme, with a budget of €33.71 billion, concerns the financing of projects in the transport and mobility sector (€25.81 billion), energy (€5.84 billion), and digital (€2.06 billion). Climate action is to be integrated into the programme.

Visiting Brussels, US climate envoy John Kerry called on 9 March for "enhanced" cooperation between his country and the EU in the fight against climate change, stressing that it was "time" to act. The US has recalled its nationally determined contribution to the Paris agreement and has committed to achieving zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Poland and Hungary filed an application with the European Court of Justice on 11 March to challenge the EU regulation setting up a mechanism making the payment of EU funds conditional on compliance with the rule of law. The two countries consider that the mechanism has no basis in the Treaties and that it constitutes an interference in the competences of the Member States.

The European Central Bank announced on 11 March that it is keeping its key interest rates unchanged and that it plans to increase the pace of its emergency debt purchase programme (EDPP) over the next quarter to calm the nervousness of the markets in the face of a recent rise in bond rates. Although the EPPP envelope (€1.850 billion to be used by March 2022) is not expected to be fully utilised, it can be recalibrated if the situation requires it.

The Commission, following the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency, gave the green light on 11 March for the marketing of the Janssen vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson. The fourth vaccine to be used in the EU, it can be administered in a single dose. The Commission has ordered 200 million doses. On 10 March, the Commission reached an agreement with BioNtech/Pfizer to supply Member States with a further 4 million doses, to be delivered by the end of March. Their use will be targeted in border regions, to restore or ensure free movement within the European area.

Elections were held on 14 March in two Länder. In Baden Württemberg, which has been governed since 2016 by a Green/CDU coalition, the Greens won with 31% of the vote. The results could pave the way for a new alliance between the Greens, the SPD and the FPD. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) came first with 34.5% of the vote. In office since 2016, the SPD/FDP/Green coalition is expected to be renewed. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lost ground, with 23% of the vote in Baden-Württemberg and 26% in Rhineland-Palatinate.

On 12 March, the Spanish government approved a plan totalling €11 billion to help businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The plan includes €7 billion in direct non-repayable aid to avoid bankruptcies that would be detrimental to the recovery of the economy.

The Scale-Up Europe initiative was launched by the French Secretary of State for Digital Transition and Electronic Communications in partnership with the European Commissioner for Innovation. This initiative, announced by E. Macron in December 2020, aims to develop a series of recommendations to accelerate the emergence of European technological champions in the digital field.

In the first month after the UK's exit from the single market, British exports to the European Union fell in January by 41% and imports by 29% compared with the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said on 12 March. In price and volume terms, this was "the biggest decline in a month since measures began in January 1997", the ONS said. The British government decided on 11 March to postpone customs controls on imports from the EU until January 2022. It explained that it wanted to allow British businesses to focus on recovering from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

In a report published on 9 March, the Council of Europe deplored the "lack of will on the part of European States" to establish policies for the protection of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. It stresses that the situation has deteriorated due to the gradual withdrawal of rescue vessels, the practice of turning back migrant boats, and the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. It calls on European States to respect the European Convention on Human Rights and to take measures to protect the lives of migrants.

In its interim forecast published on 10 March, the OECD expects stronger-than-expected global growth of 5.6% in 2021 and 4% in 2022. For the euro area, the forecast remains the same, with 3.9% growth in 2021 and 3.8% in 2022. The OECD stresses that economic and employment recovery is linked to the pace of vaccination.

On 9 March, the Parliament and the Commission published a joint Eurobarometer survey on the Conference on the Future of Europe. 76% of respondents support the Conference, and 92% call for the voice of citizens to be better taken into account in the European decision-making process. In 14 countries, respondents consider respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law as the Union's most important asset. Furthermore, 6 out of 10 people say that the Covid-19 crisis has made them think about the future of Europe.

As part of the International Day of La Francophonie celebrated on 20 March, the 54 member countries and 27 observer countries of the International Organisation of La Francophonie are offering a month of activities to celebrate the French language around the world. This year, all the events presented in Europe will be held online with literary meetings, online competitions, theatre workshops and film screenings.

In "Marengo ou l'étrange victoire de Bonaparte" (Marengo or Bonaparte's Strange Victory), Jean Tulard reveals all the facets of this battle fought in Piedmont on 14 June 1800, which enabled the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte to remove the last obstacles in his quest for power. The battle is also the subject of a book by the military historian Olivier Lapray, "La bataille de Marengo, la première victoire du siècle", translated into English, and a work by the Pole Slawomir Lesniewski. Napoleon is the subject of a biography in German by the historian and journalist Volker Ullrich.