You have not yet had the opportunity to read the 2021 edition of the "Schuman Report on Europe, the State of the Union", a reference work published by Marie B.? You can still do so. It is available in hard copy in bookshops and on our website, and in digital form.

This autumn, the new edition of the 'Permanent Atlas of the European Union' published by Marie B. is well worth reading. This book reflects the latest political and economic changes in the European Union and its Member States. With more than 50 maps, texts and thematic sheets, the Atlas summarises the essential history and political and statistical realities of the Union. It is available in hard copy in bookshops and on our website, and in digital format.

As repression continues in Belarus, the European Commission proposed on 29 September to suspend visa facilities for officials linked to the regime. On 30 September, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe called on the regime to stop using migrants on its borders with the EU, and proposed the creation of a body to monitor the human rights situation in the country. To follow the crisis opened by the rigged presidential election of August 2020, the Foundation offers you a chronology of events and links to European responses and initiatives.

In Romania, since 1 October and in areas where the incidence rate is higher than 6 per 1000, access to bars and restaurants is only available to people who have been vaccinated or cured of Covid-19, and masks are compulsory for everyone both indoors and outdoors. In France, masks are no longer required in schools in 47 departments where the incidence rate is below 50 per 100,000. As of 4 October, in Madrid, restrictions have been lifted for bars, restaurants, cinemas and theatres, and masks are no longer mandatory outdoors. To follow the development of the situation and to understand the conditions of entry in the different EU Member States, the Foundation offers you a complete map of the measures in place. An indispensable, regularly updated resource.

In response to the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Union has set up a €672.5 billion recovery fund, known as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, for Member States in the form of grants and loans. 20 plans have been adopted so far and 16 countries have already received the pre-financing. The Commission has so far not approved the Hungarian and Polish plans because of the infringement of the rule of law. The Foundation offers you an interactive map of the plans country by country, to see the amounts, timetables and priorities.

On 26 September, Germans voted to elect their deputies, and negotiations are underway to choose the coalition and Angela Merkel's successor in the Chancellery. To understand the issues at stake in these decisive elections for Germany and the European Union, you can find in this dossier the Foundation's publications and the debates we are organising in relation to this election, as well as our interventions in the media and resources on the programmes of the contending parties...Read more

On 7 October, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) is organising a hybrid conference in Helsinki in partnership with the Foundation, in preparation for the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The President and the Director General of the Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani and Pascale Joannin, will debate with Päivi Puonti and Niklas Helwig, researchers at FIIA, on the recovery in Europe and on defence and security policy. The debate will be broadcast on YouTube at 13:30.

The Commission proposed to Member States on 30 September to extend the temporary state aid framework put in place in 2020 to support the economy during the pandemic. It proposes to apply more flexible rules until June 2022 while phasing out the support measures. In addition, the Commission is widening the scope of action of States by allowing them to temporarily support investment and solvency.

After discussions with the Commission and national consumer protection authorities, 16 airlines committed on 30 September to greater respect for passengers' rights and to improve their communication on cancelled flights, notably due to the pandemic. In particular, they pledged to reimburse passengers within 7 days in case of cancellation.

On 1 October, the Commission proposed a revision of the code of good practice against disinformation that signatory platforms must respect. The aim is to remedy the lack of an appropriate monitoring mechanism and the inadequacy of the commitments on access to data. While eight new potential signatories have expressed interest, it invites messaging services and online advertising players to follow suit.

On 28 September, Research Ministers discussed the new European Research Area, the need to strengthen cooperation with a view to improving innovation for a greener and more competitive economy. On 29 September, industry ministers discussed the environmental impact of industrial strategy and regulation on competitiveness. They emphasised the ability of companies to achieve carbon neutrality, as well as the importance of the border carbon mechanism in the framework of the climate package "Adjustment to Target 55".

The members of the Eurogroup meeting on 4 October discussed the economic outlook for the euro area and, in particular, energy prices. They discussed the implementation of the euro area's priorities through the recovery plans. The ministers also exchanged views on growth and employment, took stock of the discussions on the banking union, and discussed the 11th report on the enhanced surveillance of Greece.

Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement on 30 September, brokered by the EU, to reduce recent tensions on their border. The agreement includes the establishment of an EU-led working group to find a solution to the license plate issue. Kosovo no longer recognises Serbian number plates on its territory, as Serbia does not recognise Kosovo's on their territory.

The round of trade talks scheduled for October between the European Union and Australia has been postponed to November, the Commission said on 1 October. The postponement comes just weeks after the diplomatic crisis between France and Australia following the latter's abrupt cancellation of a strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific region.

The new EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, Ilkka Salmi from Finland, took up his post on 1 October for a five-year term. He succeeds Gilles de Kerchove, who was in office for 16 years.

The Václav Havel Prize was awarded on 27 September to Maria Kalesnikova, a leading opposition figure in Belarus, at a special ceremony held at the opening of the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Currently in detention, she was sentenced to 11 years in prison for her political activity. The Council of Europe recognised her human rights activism with a €60,000 prize.

The Council of Europe's Crystal Scales of Justice Prize was awarded on 1 October to the French Ministry of Justice for the introduction of simplified hospital complaints for victims of domestic violence. The prize recognises innovative projects by European judicial institutions.

Euro area annual inflation rose in September 2021 to 3.4%, up from 3% in August, according to an estimate published by Eurostat on 1 October. Energy is the sector with the highest inflation rate, at 17.4%, compared with 15.4% in August.

On 29 September, the Commission presented a report on migration and asylum and an action plan against migrant smuggling. The report takes stock of migratory movements in the EU, particularly from Afghanistan and Belarus. It stresses the action of European agencies in managing these flows. The action plan aims to strengthen mutual cooperation between States in order to dismantle organised criminal groups involved in migrant smuggling, and to improve the implementation of sanctions against smugglers.

On 3 October, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published an investigation entitled "Pandora Papers" which reveals a set of confidential documents on the financial arrangements and wealth concealment of public figures around the world, including former and current European leaders such as Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, or former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

As part of the "Meet Vincent van Gogh" experience organised with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Espace Ibercaja Delicias in Madrid is offering an immersive visit to the artist's works until 9 January 2022. The exhibition of large-scale reproductions of his paintings and a life-size reconstruction of his bedroom offer the opportunity to gain a new perspective on his work.

Until 23 January 2022, the Kunstmuseum Basel is presenting 180 works by Camille Pissarro. The exhibition reveals the Neo-Impressionist painter's thirst for experimentation and his conviction that beauty shines everywhere.

Until 30 January 2022, the British Museum in London is exhibiting 103 recently discovered prints and drawings by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Produced between the years 1820 and 1830, the works depict scenes from Buddhist India, ancient China and nature. The exhibition thus reveals a 19th-century Japan that was much more intrigued by the outside world than previously thought.

On 4, 5, 11 and 12 October, the Association of Polish Musicians is organising an online festival to promote the work and talent of women in music. The concerts will be broadcast on the association's Youtube channel.

On 9 and 10 October, the town of Rambouillet will switch to imperial time. In three emblematic places of the city, the castle, the national sheepfold and the palace of the King of Rome, reconstitutions of a military camp and scenes of daily life of that period are being presented, as well as a workshop on Empire fashion in the countryside.