France announced the lifting of travel restrictions for 3 May, and nursery and primary schools reopened on 26 April. In Italy, restaurants, cinemas, theatres and schools reopen on 26 April under certain conditions. In the Netherlands, the curfew has been lifted and bars can partially reopen on 28 April. In Cyprus, a lockdown will be in place until 9 May. In Germany, the Parliament passed a law allowing measures to be taken at federal level. Germany and Italy have introduced restrictions for passengers coming from India, and the Netherlands has suspended flights to India. To keep track of the situation, the Foundation provides a comprehensive map of health measures in place and travel conditions across Europe. An essential resource, which is regularly updated, to help you understand the situation better.

On 20 April, the Commission established a Knowledge Centre on Earth Observation to develop the use of knowledge from the collation and analysis of geo-referenced data on the state of the planet. The centre aims to support the implementation of the Commission's policy priorities, and to develop the European Earth observation programme Copernicus, which provides geospatial information about our planet.

The Commission presented on 21 April measures to better direct capital flows towards sustainable activities in the EU, in particular the taxation system to promote sustainable investments. It also presented a proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability reporting, as well as six texts on fiduciary duties and investment and insurance advice.

Member States unanimously adopted on 22 April the guidelines describing the technical specifications for the implementation of the digital green certificate, with the aim of ensuring the deployment of the system in the Union by June.

On 21 April, the Commission proposed a first legal framework on artificial intelligence (AI) and a new plan coordinated with Member States to boost the uptake of AI, while ensuring safety and fundamental rights by setting new rules for machines and equipment that will be directly applicable in all Member States. Strict regulation will be introduced and all AI systems considered a threat to people's safety, livelihoods and rights will be banned.

On 22 April, the Commission adopted three regulations to allow drones and manned aircraft to operate safely in an airspace called U-space. The rules cover the roles and responsibilities of the organisations involved and include new services for drone operators who will be able to carry out more complex and longer-range operations. They come into force in April and will apply from January 2023.

On 23 April, the EU Environment Ministers discussed the challenges of water scarcity, drought and adaptation to climate change with their Swiss, Norwegian and Icelandic counterparts. They discussed Europe's role in the international context and recognised that water is a crucial aspect of adaptation to climate change and that it is important to increase knowledge about the effects of climate change.

Defence ministers met on 23 April to discuss the Strategic Compass, which will be the main document for political guidance and common security and defence from 2022. The meeting defined Member States' contributions in four areas: crisis management, capabilities, resilience and partnerships.

On 26 April, the Agriculture Ministers discussed the progress of the inter-institutional negotiations on the CAP reforms and exchanged views on the question of the amounts reserved for the eco-schemes. They also discussed the trade agenda and the conditions for fair competition, as well as the Union's trade relations with third countries, in order to preserve the sustainability of the agri-food sector.

At the virtual international climate summit on 22 April, US President Joe Biden pledged to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by 50%-52% by 2030 compared to 2005. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will apply to transport and buildings. French President Emmanuel Macron called for an acceleration in the implementation of the 2030 commitments and insisted on the need to integrate the environmental dimension into investment costs and trade relations. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country wants to increase its renewable electricity production to 65% by 2030.

The SpaceX rocket carrying four astronauts, including Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, lifted off from Florida on 23 April towards the International Space Station (ISS). Thomas Pesquet is the first European to fly aboard a Crew Dragon capsule, and the first Frenchman to take command of the ISS. He will carry out the "Alpha" mission, the second organised on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA), which will consist of research into the ageing of stem cells, and will help prepare for future missions to Mars and the Moon.

The German Constitutional Court rejected on 21 April the appeal against Germany's ratification of the Own Resources Decision, the legislation allowing the loan to finance the European recovery plan to be launched. The court ruled that blocking ratification would have "irreversible" consequences, but did not reject the substance of the complaint challenging the constitutionality of the recovery plan, which will be examined later. The ratification instrument was initialled by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on 23 April.

On 26 April, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The two leaders praised Franco-German solidarity during the health crisis, as well as the Covax initiative on vaccines. They announced that their two countries will jointly present their recovery plans on 27 April. They discussed the major geopolitical issues, particularly in the East. Finally, they discussed the challenges of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

In an audit report made public on 23 April, the Commission found that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis continues to exercise decisive influence over the Agrofert holding company and is therefore in a situation of conflict of interest. The Commission concluded that Babis remains the de facto owner of the holding company and found irregularities in the payment of EU subsidies and grants to Agrofert. The holding company may have to pay back €11 million to the EU. A. Babis rejected the audit's conclusions.

On 22 April, the Copernicus programme published its report on the state of the European climate. The year 2020 was the warmest ever recorded in Europe and one of the three warmest years on record globally. Several temperature records were broken. Although the Covid-19 containment measures led to a slight reduction in annual emissions, CO2 concentrations continued to rise.

The exhibition "Frida Kahlo - The Chaos Within" reopened on 26 April at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan. The life of the Mexican artist is traced through videos and enhanced reality, furniture, objects and clothes that belonged to her, as well as writings and reproductions of works.

Five public channels from France, Germany and Switzerland have joined forces to launch on 21 April the "European Collection", a joint selection of documentaries, reports and magazines broadcast online about the challenges facing Europe. The editorial package, translated into five languages (French, German, English, Spanish and Italian), is available free of charge on the digital platforms arte.tv, france.tv, ardmediathek.de, zdf.de, and will soon be available on Play Suisse. This project is part of the Franco-German Aachen Treaty, as well as the digital media ENTR launched at the end of March.

On 30 April, the Polish orchestra Sinfornia Iuventus celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Argentine composer and bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla with a concert broadcast online from the Warsaw Music Schools Complex under the direction of Marek Wroniszewski.

Until 25 July, the Kunsthaus Zurich is presenting an exhibition devoted to the landscapes of the painter Gerhard Richter. 140 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculptures are on show to trace the artist's creative process from 1957 to 2018.

For the 200th anniversary of Charles Baudelaire and as part of the digital programme "A work, a look", the Musée d'Orsay in Paris is offering "Baudelairean voices", a new programme on its digital platforms. The museum invites figures of contemporary creation and thought to read, each week, a text of their choice.

The BBC is offering a wide range of podcasts on Napoleon, linked to other personalities such as Wellington, Stendhal and Tolstoy.

On the occasion of the bicentenary of Napoleon's death, Casterman is publishing the complete Napoleon Bonaparte, the reference comic book series by cartoonist Jean Torton, based on a script by Jacques Martin and Pascal Davoz.

Jacques Godechot, former Professor of Modern and Contemporary History and Dean, Faculty of Letters, University of Toulouse II, invites readers to explore this page in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, tracing the epic journey taken by Napoleon towards power and glory, and finally defeat in Europe.