Since 15 January, a health pass has been required to work in Luxembourg, and only vaccinated people can enter bars and restaurants in Germany. In Sweden, bars and restaurants close at 11pm, indoor public gatherings are limited to 500 people, and a vaccination pass is required for groups of 50 or more. In the Netherlands, shops, gyms and universities have reopened but bars, restaurants, cinemas and theatres remain closed until 26 January. In France, on 16 January, Parliament adopted the law transforming the health pass into a vaccination pass. To follow the development of the situation and to understand the measures that are in force in the Member States of the Union, the Foundation offers you a complete map of the measures that have been introduced. An indispensable, regularly updated resource.

On 12 January, the EU candidate countries and members of the European Economic Area joined the sanctions decided by the European Union against airlines and travel agencies that allow the transport of people to Belarus. To follow the latest developments in the crisis opened by the rigged presidential election of August 2020 and the repression of the democratic opposition, the Foundation offers you a chronology of events.

In response to the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the EU 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. So far, 22 plans have been approved by the commission, and all 22 countries have received the planned pre-financing, including Romania, which received €1.9bn on 13 January. The Commission has not yet approved the Hungarian and Polish plans due to the infringement of the rule of law. The Foundation offers you an interactive map of the plans country by country, to know the amounts, the timetables and the priorities.

As part of the Defence Factory and in partnership with ECFR Berlin, the Foundation organised an online event on 13 January on Franco-German cooperation in the defence industry, at the centre of European ambitions for building strategic autonomy. The discussion is available online.

On the occasion of the Franco-German Day, Pascale Joannin will moderate a debate on the future of the Franco-German couple which will be organised by the European Movement Paris at the Goethe Institute on 20 January. Joachim Bitterlich, member of the Scientific Committee of the Foundation, will be one of the speakers. Enrol now.

Jean-Dominique Giuliani will be invited to a round table on European views on the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union organised by the Medef on 18 January.

The Commission prohibited on 13 January the acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) by Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings (HHIH). The combination of the two Korean companies would have created a dominant position and reduced competition in the global market for the construction of large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. The Commission also bases its injunction on the higher prices for EU customers and ultimately for energy consumers that the merger would have brought about.

Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met on 13 and 14 January to discuss the status of Northern Ireland with regard to Brexit. They expressed their " wish for a positive relationship " and agreed to deepen the discussions and to meet again on 24 January.

Meeting on 17 January, the Eurogroup discussed the economic resilience of the euro area and potential measures to facilitate economic adjustment after the pandemic. It also examined the draft recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area for 2022 and took stock of the ratification of the revised treaty on the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). Ministers also discussed the reform of the governance of the euro area and the state of play on strengthening banking union.

At the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 17 January, France presented its priorities for its Presidency of the Council, in particular the reciprocity of standards, the reform of the CAP, and the revision of the regulation on fisheries control. Ministers discussed agricultural trade issues, including relations with the UK, and WTO negotiations. They also discussed the effects of rising energy costs on the market situation for agricultural products.

A meeting of foreign ministers was held on 13 and 14 January in Brest and provided an opportunity to take stock of the Strategic Compass project in a joint session with the defence ministers. The ministers also discussed the situation in Ukraine and Belarus, as well as the EU's relations with China and Africa. In a statement by High Representative Josep Borrell, the European Union condemned the cyber attack on Ukraine on 14 January and expressed its readiness to help the country. France and the Europeans, militarily engaged in the anti-jihadist fight in Mali, want to stay "but not at any price", said the head of French diplomacy Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Europol announced on 14 January the seizure of 1,534 firearms in the framework of Operation Conversus against the illegal arms trade, which was conducted in December. Coordinated by Europol, the operation involved law enforcement agencies from 24 countries.

COSAC, which brings together national parliamentary committees dealing with European affairs and the European Parliament, met in Paris at the Senate on 13 and 14 January to discuss the priorities of the French Council Presidency.

The external trade deficit stood at €8.3 billion for the Union and €1.5 billion for the euro area in November 2021, according to data published by Eurostat on 14 January. At the same time, intra-euro zone trade reached €204.3 billion, up 22.1% compared to November 2020.

The Inverfest music festival is being held in Madrid until 6 February. There will be 130 performances, with many concerts by Spanish singers and bands, poetry evenings and discussions.

The 4th edition of the International Documentary Festival is being held until 23 January in Biarritz. Screenings, round tables and conferences on various themes, reflecting contemporary concerns such as migration and climate change, are on the programme.

The Hungarian Music House opens its doors on 23 January in Budapest. The building, designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, will host concerts and an interactive exhibition on the history of Hungarian and European music.

Until 27 March, Palazzo Barberini in Rome is devoting an exhibition to Caravaggio and the representations of violence and seduction in 16th and 17th century painting. The exhibition, which includes 29 works, celebrates the 70th anniversary of the rediscovery of the painting Judith and Holofernes and the 50th anniversary of its acquisition by the Italian State.

To mark the 400th anniversary of Molière's birth, the Comédie-Française is dedicating a season to him, presenting all his greatest plays until 25 July 2022.

As part of the French Presidency of the Council, the Ministry of Culture and the French Institute have prepared a cultural and artistic programme comprising more than ten initiatives dedicated to European youth. From 20 January to 27 February, the gates of the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris will host the works of six photographers as part of the "Crossings of Europe" exhibition. As part of the worldwide "Night of Ideas" event, organised by the French Institute in Paris with the entire French cultural network abroad, the "European Night of Ideas" will bring together personalities from the worlds of art, literature, science and associations on the night of 27 January.

The "New Normals" exhibition by the industrial designer Konstantin Grcic is presenting everyday objects and materials in interaction with their surroundings from 21 January to 8 May at Haus Am Waldsee in Berlin.

From 23 January to 22 May, the Fondation Beyeler in Basel is staging a major retrospective of the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, a leading figure in modern American art, known for her abstract works and depictions of flowers and landscapes of the American Southwest.