The new edition of the 'Permanent Atlas of the European Union' has been published by Marie B. This book reflects the latest political and economic changes in the European Union and its Member States. With over 50 maps, texts and thematic files, the Atlas summarises the Union's history and political and statistical realities. It is available in paper version in French in bookshops and on our website, and in digital version in French and English. Order it here.

Since 5 June, EU airspace has been closed to Belarusian airlines in response to the hijacking of the plane on 23 May and the arrest of journalist Roman Protassevich. To follow the crisis since the rigged presidential election of August 2020, the Foundation offers you a chronology of events and links to European responses and initiatives.

Cultural and entertainment venues reopened conditionally on 5 June in the Netherlands. Since 7 June, Spain has been accepting travellers with a vaccination certificate or a negative test without quarantine. France is doing the same from 9 June for travellers coming from the green zone. Bars and restaurants can serve indoors in Italy from 7 June, and in France and Belgium from 9 June. The curfew will be extended to 23:00 in Italy on 7 June in areas where it is still in place, and in France on 9 June. To follow developments, the Foundation is providing a comprehensive map of health measures in place and travel conditions across Europe. An essential, regularly updated resource, for you to understand the situation.

On 2 June, the Commission presented its strategy for improving the functioning of the Schengen area, which is based on three pillars: management of external borders, strengthening police cooperation, security and governance. It presented a proposal for the revision of the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism, which includes an acceleration of the evaluation procedure of the implementation of the rules and includes a reinforced monitoring of the respect of fundamental rights.

On 2 June, the Commission presented its budgetary guidelines for Member States and called on them to pursue a fiscal policy that supports recovery and investment. It also confirmed the continuation of the general derogation clause until 2023. It considered that at this stage there is no need to decide to open an excessive deficit procedure. It also adopted guidelines for employment and the tenth enhanced surveillance report on Greece

On 1 June, the Commission announced the forthcoming launch of the loan to finance the European recovery plan NextGenerationEU, a step made possible by the ratification by all Member States of the Own Resources Decision. €80 billion will be raised in 2021, in the form of long-term bonds and short-term debt securities to meet the initial needs of Member States.

The Commission and the UK government agreed on 2 June on catch limits for 2021 for jointly managed fish stocks. The agreement fixes the total allowable catch for 75 shared fish stocks for 2021 and for certain deep-sea stocks for 2021 and 2022.

On 3 June, the Commission proposed the creation of a European digital identity accessible to all EU citizens, businesses and residents, allowing them to share electronic documents from a digital wallet. The wallet will not be mandatory, but major platforms will have to accept its use at the user's request. It would ensure control over the data shared when accessing online services.

The Commission opened an investigation on 4 June into possible antitrust practices by Facebook. It is investigating whether the platform uses advertising data collected from advertisers to compete in markets such as online ads, and whether its online ad service Facebook Marketplace is linked to its social network.

On 3 June, transport ministers adopted the Commission's proposed strategy for sustainable and intelligent mobility and the proposals for revising the legislative framework of the Single European Sky. They adopted conclusions on railway policy. The ministers also discussed the revision of the Union's road tarification rules and the forced landing of the civil aircraft in Minsk on 23 May.

On 4 June, the Telecommunications Ministers discussed the Data Governance Act, the proposal for a directive to improve cybersecurity, the Digital Compass and their commitment to defending fundamental rights, ethics and European values in the digital transformation. They also discussed the update of the privacy rules for electronic communications and the Roaming Regulation.

The Vice-President of the European Court of First Instance ordered on 2 June that the waiver of the immunity of three Catalan members of the European Parliament be temporarily suspended pending the examination of their case. The immunity of Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comin and Clara Ponsati was lifted by the European Parliament in March 2021 at the request of the Spanish Supreme Court, which is prosecuting them for their role in Catalonia's attempted declaration of independence in 2017.

On 3 June, the European Court of Justice rejected Hungary's appeal against the European Parliament's resolution, passed in 2018, triggering the Article 7 procedure on the rule of law. The Hungarian government challenged the non-inclusion of abstentions in the vote count. The Court recalled that abstentions should not be counted and considered that this was not contrary to the principles of democracy and equal treatment.

The European coastguard and border guard agency Frontex is not sufficiently effective in its support to Member States and its management of external borders, says the Court of Auditors in a report published on 7 June. The report concludes that Frontex has not fully fulfilled the mandate given to it in 2016, and stresses that "it is not ready either to implement effectively the mandate received in 2019".

In a report published on 3 June, the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) urges Romania to improve its legislation in order to make sanctions more dissuasive and ensure fair compensation for victims. GRETA notes the positive developments in the Romanian legislative framework but points out that many sentences are limited to suspended sentences and that the use of guilty pleas leads to reduced sentences.

The Council of Europe's Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism published its annual report for 2020 on 4 June. It finds that the States and jurisdictions show a moderate level of effectiveness and that their level of compliance with AML/CFT standards is on average unsatisfactory. The report highlights "serious shortcomings" in the area of financial sanctions against terrorism.

The Finance Ministers meeting in London on 4 and 5 June gave their "strong support" to the proposed 15% minimum global tax rate for multinationals "applied country by country". In addition, they committed to redistributing a surplus of profits made by multinationals to countries in which the groups have market share but are not based. Ministers reiterated the risk posed by global warming and discussed the need to support green finance.

Euro area annual inflation was 2% in May 2021, according to Eurostat estimates published on 1 June. (compared to 1.6% in April). Germany and Spain had a rate of 2.4%, Ireland 1.9%, France 1.8% and Italy 1.3%.

According to the European Environment Agency's annual bathing water report published on 1 June, the percentage of coastal and inland bathing sites with "excellent" water quality has stabilised at around 85% in recent years and stood at 82.8% in 2020 across Europe. The minimum water quality standard of "sufficient" was met in 93% of the monitored sites in 2020, and in five countries, Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece and Malta, at least 95% of the bathing waters were of excellent quality.

The Nuits de Fourvière festival in Lyon is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Numerous theatre, music, dance, opera and circus performances are on the programme until 30 July.

Joseph Banks (1743-1820) is one of the UK's most famous naturalists, known for his participation in James Cook's first voyage around the world. The Natural History Museum in London is paying tribute to him until 17 September. The exhibition includes works of art from the journeys he made with Cook in the Pacific and manuscripts describing the local customs and plants of the Kerala, in southern India

From 10 June to 13 September 2021, the Capodimonte Museum in Naples is presenting an exhibition dedicated to Raphael (1483-1520), one of the most prominent painters and architects of the Renaissance. The exhibition allows visitors to learn more about the work of the artist and his studio.

The city of Malaga is hosting the 24th edition of a festival dedicated to the dissemination and promotion of Spanish cinema until 13 June. The programme includes feature films, shorts and documentaries. The festival is complemented by tributes to different personalities in the film industry and by series, exhibitions and parallel activities.

The town of Lepizig is hosting the Bach Music Festival from 11 to 20 June, this year dedicated to Christianity. The programme includes a series of concerts, including the Messiah, which will be broadcast online from 11 to 15 June from emblematic locations. The festival is complemented by a compilation of biblical audio texts to be discovered online.

From 8 June to 7 November, the Borghese Gallery in Rome is presenting a new exhibition by British sculptor and painter Damien Hirst. More than 80 works from the series "Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable Series" will be on display in the museum alongside ancient masterpieces. Hirst's paintings from a collection entitled "Colour Space" will also be on display for the first time in Italy.

The Brightening Air - Coiscéim Coiligh festival will be running from 11-20 June and features installations and exhibitions, digital and virtual reality experiments, live performances and talks across the Republic of Ireland.

Until 24 October, the Napoleon Museum at Arenenberg Castle in Switzerland is presenting the exhibition "The End of Napoleon: St Helena, Arenenberg and the Birth of a Legend". In the castle where Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of Joséphine, lived, there is a large glass sarcophagus containing objects concerning Napoleon's life in exile and the stories surrounding him, which the mistress of the house presented to her visitors.

The Institute for the History of the Risorgimento in Bologna is organising a series of online meetings and conferences until 16 June to mark the bicentenary of Napoleon's death. The lectures can be viewed on the Institute's YouTube channel.

The Musée Municipal de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is hosting an exhibition that traces Napoleon's life and military strategies. The exhibition is open until 13 June, and a virtual tour is available until 31 December.