On 18 April, the EU commemorated the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The ECSC was the first project of European integration and brought together Belgium, France, Italy, the Federal Republic of Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It was initiated by the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in his declaration of 9 May 1950. The Treaty of Paris came into force on 26 July 1952 for a period of 50 years and expired on 23 July 2002.

Italy and Belgium announced an easing of restrictions from 26 April, and travel outside Belgium is again allowed. France has suspended air travel to Brazil to limit the spread of variants from that country, and has imposed a quarantine on travellers from Argentina, Chile and South Africa. Portugal announced the end of the suspension of flights to Brazil and the UK, and reopened restaurants, theatres, shopping centres, high schools and universities. In Germany, the city of Cologne has imposed a curfew. To follow the development of the situation, the Foundation offers you a summary of the health measures in place and travel conditions across Europe. An essential, regularly updated resource for a better understanding of the situation.

The Commission proposed on 12 April to exempt from VAT the goods and services it and EU bodies and agencies make available to Member States and citizens in times of crisis. The aim is to free up limited budgets in procurement operations and maximise the effectiveness of EU funds used to tackle crises, such as natural disasters and public health emergencies. The beneficiaries of these measures can be Member States or third parties, such as national authorities or institutions.

Members of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committees voted on 15 April in favour of the trade and cooperation agreement signed in December 2020 by the EU and the UK. The European Parliament will take a final decision and adopt an accompanying resolution in plenary session at a date yet to be set.

On 14 April, the Council adopted its mandate for negotiations with the Parliament on the proposal for a digital green certificate that will indicate whether a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, is negative or has recovered, in order to facilitate security and freedom of movement in the EU as well as in Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The Council wanted to introduce some changes in the proposal, including clarifications on the principle of non-discrimination and the guarantee of enhanced data protection. The Parliament is due to adopt its negotiating mandate at the April plenary session.

The European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) concluded negotiations on a new partnership agreement to replace the Cotonou Agreement on 15 April. The agreement, which has yet to be signed by both parties, sets the framework for economic, sectoral and political cooperation for the next 20 years. Both parties strengthen their commitments to the protection of peace and security, human rights, democracy and governance.

In two judgments handed down on 14 April, the European Court of First Instance rejected the actions brought by the airline Ryanair against the aid measures for SAS adopted by Sweden and Denmark, and against Finland's guarantee for Finnair. The judges found that the measures, decided in response to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, comply with EU law.

On 13 April, the European Court of Auditors published a report on the Commission's support for the deployment of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. It points out that while the EU has increased the number of charging stations, the number of these is still unevenly distributed among Member States and payment systems are not sufficiently harmonised. She believes the Commission must ensure that EU funds are allocated where they are most needed.

The European Central Bank published on 14 April its report on the public consultation on a digital euro in 2020. The 18 questions set out by the ECB regarding the benefits and challenges of a digital euro project, as well as its possible design and use, received more than 8 200 responses. Respondents' main expectations of a digital euro are privacy, security, ease of use, no additional costs and offline use.

On 12 April Europol published its annual threat assessment report on serious and organised crime in the EU. The report notes that two thirds of criminals regularly use corruption and 60% of criminal networks active in the EU use violence in their criminal activities. It provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on criminal networks, describes the factors in the general environment that shape crime, presents the latest developments in serious and organised crime, and identifies the main criminal groups and individuals involved.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on 13 April that the US will not withdraw troops from Germany, as announced by Donald Trump, and that it will furthermore deploy 500 additional military personnel by the autumn. The troops, who will be stationed at US NATO bases in the Wiesbaden area, are to enhance existing space and cyber capabilities.

On 13 April, French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern presented the report on the consultation of supporters of the Christchurch Appeal, an initiative launched by the two countries after the Christchurch attack in 2019, which brings together 10 heads of State and government as well as leaders of digital companies and organisations to fight terrorism and violent extremism online. The report highlights the progress made and outlines priorities for the coming years: gaining the support of other internet stakeholders, making progress in understanding the effects of algorithms, and being able to respond to terrorist and violent extremist content.

On 16 April, the Constitutional Court gave the Defender of Rights, Adam Bodnar, three months to step down. His five-year term had ended in September 2020, but he had continued in office because of a lack of agreement on the appointment of his successor, which the court ruled unconstitutional. The lower house of parliament voted to appoint a deputy from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Bartlomiej Wroblewski, to replace him, but the appointment has to be validated by the Senate, where the opposition has a majority.

The Czech government announced on 17 April the expulsion of 18 Russian embassy employees identified as agents of the GRU, the Russian military spy service. Czech intelligence has "irrefutable" evidence of the agents' involvement in the explosion of an ammunition depot in 2014, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.

The ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition parties signed an EU-brokered agreement on 19 April to end the political crisis in the country that followed the October 2020 elections. The agreement, presented the day before by European Council President Charles Michel, includes strengthening the independence of the judiciary, a reform of electoral rules and changes in the functioning of the parliament. The main opposition United National Movement (UNM) will join the agreement when its leader Nika Melia is released from prison. Charles Michel travels to Tbilisi on 20 April.

The Turkish authorities released journalist and writer Ahmet Altan on 14 April after the Court of Cassation overturned his 10 and a half year prison sentence, handed down in 2019 for complicity with the Gülenist organisation, described as a terrorist organisation by the Turkish government. His release comes a day after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that his detention could not be legally justified, and that his rights such as the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of the press had been violated.

On 13 April, the NATO-Ukraine Commission met at NATO Headquarters in Brussels to discuss the situation in Ukraine, following a Russian military build-up around Ukraine's borders, as well as ongoing ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine by Russian-backed paramilitaries. Allies reaffirmed support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to stop its provocations and de-escalate the situation.

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, is calling on European governments to respect human rights standards, common values and principles in the implementation of a "vaccine pass". She highlights the importance of data protection, the obligation of States to ensure access to vaccination and the risks to public health and safety.

In a report on the economic outlook for Europe published on 14 April, the International Monetary Fund forecasts growth of 4.5% in 2021 for all countries on the continent. It notes a V-shaped recovery of the European economy but points out that coronavirus variants and the pace of vaccination pose a significant risk to its pace.

Published on 14 April, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) "Going for Growth 2021" report sets out its recommendations for developed economies to accelerate recovery.

The 4th edition of the Italy Street Photo Festival, the most important street photography event in Italy, is taking place this year online from 23 to 25 April. Alex Majoli, from the Magnum agency, will give a lecture. Workshops and discussions will also be offered to the public with the participation of professional photographers such as Tony Gentile, Stephanie Gengotti and Gabriele Croppi.

Historian Steven Englund offers a 'political life' of Napoleon, in which he reviews his role in modern politics.