On 12 May, the Foundation organised a videoconference on the future of Germany in view of the elections of 26 September and the announced departure of Chancellor Angela Merkel, moderated by Pascale Joannin, with Frank Baasner, Director of the Franco-German Institute (DFI), Joachim Bitterlich, former German ambassador, and Hélène Kohl, Berlin correspondent for Europe 1, the Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace and the Journal du Dimanche. You can watch the debate again.

Greece reopened its borders to tourists on 15 May and travel between regions is allowed again. Portugal reopened its borders on 17 May. In Poland, terraces reopened on 15 May and masks are no longer required in the open air. Museums, bars and restaurants will reopen on 19 May in France, where the curfew will be extended to 9pm. On 19 May, hotels and restaurants, leisure and cultural facilities reopen under conditions in Austria. To follow the development in the situation, the Foundation offers you a complete map of the sanitary measures in place and the travel conditions across Europe. This is an indispensable, regularly updated resource to help you understand the situation.

On 10 May, opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya discussed with the Commission what a European aid package for Belarus might look like. To follow the crisis since the rigged elections of August 2020, the Foundation offers you a chronology of events and links to European responses and initiatives.

On 12 May, the Commission presented an action plan entitled "Towards zero pollution in air, water and soil", which aims to link all relevant EU policies to combat and prevent pollution. The plan sets targets for reducing pollution at its source by 2030 compared to the current situation. Citizens will be able to debate European environmental policy from 1 to 4 June at a number of events organised as part of European Green Week.

On 12 May, the Commission presented its strategic guidelines for more sustainable and competitive aquaculture in the EU. It proposes to reduce the sale of antimicrobials and to develop organic aquaculture. The Commission calls on Member States to adopt these strategies and to consolidate best practice in aquaculture to make it a sustainable and environmentally friendly resource.

On 17 May, the Commission adopted its proposal for a sustainable blue economy in the EU for industries and sectors linked to the oceans, seas and coasts. It aims in particular to develop offshore renewable energies such as wave and tidal energy, to protect the biodiversity of the European maritime area through new standards for fisheries and ship recycling, and to improve maritime spatial management. The Commission, the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund have also announced a new European Fund for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

After more than a year's absence, the Parliament will return to its seat in Strasbourg for the June plenary session. President Sassoli invited the political groups on 12 May to organise this return, for which only 20% of officials will travel, as teleworking is still the rule. MEPs will be allowed to participate online in the session, which will be held from 7 to 10 June.

The Council and the Parliament reached a provisional agreement on 17 May on a draft directive on the conditions of entry and residence of highly qualified third-country nationals. Member States will still have the possibility to maintain national schemes for highly qualified workers in parallel to this new system. The agreement must now be formally approved by both institutions.

The Council decided on 17 May to extend by one year the framework for the adoption of sanctions against persons or entities involved in cyber attacks against the Union and its Member States. Sanctions can also be imposed after attacks against third States or international organisations. They can include an asset freeze and a travel ban.

French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern co-chaired the Leaders' Meeting on the second anniversary of the Christchurch Call on 14 May. The summit brought together government leaders from 55 states, 10 internet companies, the Commission and representatives of civil society to assess progress in the fight against the publication of terrorist content online. The countries praised the effectiveness of the initiative and reiterated that efforts should be focused on improving algorithms and blocking live terrorist content.

The Commission and the US administration decided on 17 May to open negotiations on steel and aluminium, to end their trade dispute on the issue. Since 2018, the US has been levying additional tariffs on European imports of the two products, and the EU has been imposing an equivalent amount of taxes on many US products.

The Advocate General of the Court of Justice ruled on 12 May that a European company cannot terminate a contract with an Iranian company if it cannot put forward any other justification than the need to comply with US extraterritorial sanctions against companies trading with Iran. He considers that Iranian companies can invoke the EU's blocking statute which allows US sanctions to be ignored. The Advocate General's conclusions, which relate to a dispute between Telekom Deutschland and Bank Melli Iran, are not binding for the Court, which is due to deliver its judgment later.

The Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's body of constitutional legal experts, issued an opinion on the revised draft law on public prosecution in Montenegro on 10 May. It reiterates the need to ensure that the Prosecutors' Council is not politicised.

On 11 May, the Council of Europe published Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric's report on the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, which shows a worrying decline in democracy in the 47 Member States. Ms Pejcinovic Buric encouraged States to make use of Council of Europe mechanisms based on key principles such as fundamental democratic principles and adherence to legal norms, multilateralism, freedom of expression and assembly, as well as the proportionate, necessary and time-limited nature of restrictions due to the Covid-19.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence on 11 May, Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric recalled the importance of this treaty and called on Member States to further support it. As the Convention is stricter than national laws in some countries, it allows for independent international monitoring to provide better protection for women.

From 18 May to 21 November, the Tate Modern in London is showing "The Making of Rodin", an exhibition on the early work of the French sculptor, with a particular focus on the importance of plaster in his work. The exhibition also shows the complex dynamics of sculpture, between the artist and his models and collaborators.

Until 15 July, the Quirinal Stables are reopening with an exhibition tracing the complex process and idea of the unification of the Italian peninsula in ancient Rome. The exhibition recounts, from the 4th century BC to the Julio-Claudian period, the process of Romanisation "which was a clash, an encounter and a hybridisation between cultures".

The National Sculpture Museum in Valladolid is tackling the phenomenon of relics in the 20th century with the exhibition "Strange Devotion", which is on display until 22 August. Taking its name from an engraving by Francisco de Goya, this exhibition brings together around a hundred pieces testifying to the diplomatic, artistic and anthropological functions of relics in the modern era. The role of relics as mediators and the theological controversies that they gave rise to are recurring themes in the exhibition.

In an exhibition at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna running until February 2022, Gustav Klimt's last female portrait, The Lady with a Fan, returns to Austrian soil after more than a century. The painting is presented together with other late works from Klimt's life, such as The Bride, Amalie Zuckerkandl, Adam and Eve and Portrait of a Lady in White.

Museums, cinemas, theatres and other cultural venues reopen in France on 19 May with certain restrictions and within the 9pm curfew. On 9 June, the number of people admitted will be increased, festivals with seated audiences will be allowed, and the curfew will be extended to 11pm. On 1 July, capacity restrictions will be lifted but physical distancing will continue to apply, the curfew will be lifted; and shows and festivals with standing audiences will be allowed to take place following protocols.

The Eurovision Song Contest will take place on 22 May in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Most of the contestants from 39 countries will travel to the event, while others will participate via pre-recorded videos.

The French Ministry of Culture announced on 11 May that the recovery plan will contribute to the renovation of Fort Napoleon in Guadeloupe. Built in the 18th century and named after the emperor in 1805, the fort was rebuilt between 1844 and 1867, and is still one of the most visited monuments on the island.