In Italy, the end of the state of health emergency and the mandatory vaccination pass is scheduled for 1 April. In response to the increase in the number of coronavirus cases in Austria, the wearing of FFP2 masks has been made compulsory again since 23 March in indoor public areas. To follow the evolution of the situation and to know the measures in place in the Member States, the Foundation offers you a complete map of the measures in place. An indispensable, regularly updated resource...

For a better understanding of Europe in 2022, the Permanent Atlas of the European Union, published by Marie B Editions, is a unique work that offers a complete and easy-to-access view of the European Union, the euro zone and each of its 27 Member States, with numerous maps. It is available in French in both paper and digital versions.

The Foundation is organising an event on 31 March on economic rules in a geopolitical context that is weighing on the post-pandemic recovery. This videoconference is being held as part of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Register now.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, despite its historical ties with Russia, the Greek Foreign Ministry has condemned the Russian invasion. Ukraine is the only country in Europe with such a large Greek community, between 100,000 and 150,000 Greeks live in Ukraine. Who are they? Where do they live? Alexia Kefalas tells their story.

On 24 March, MEPs adopted by 562 votes to 2 with 3 abstentions the Cohesion Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE) measures to redirect them to EU countries hosting those fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This could include unspent 2014-2020 cohesion policy funds and €10 billion from REACT-EU resources. By 575 votes to 4, with 3 abstentions, they extended the use of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund by one year, until mid-2024, to give Member States access to unused resources: €420 million could thus be released.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Japanese, Italian, French and Swedish parliaments. He called on Japan to impose a trade embargo on Russian products. In Italy, he stressed the need for stronger EU sanctions. In front of French deputies and senators he expressed his wish that French companies leave Russia. Finally, he called in the Swedish Parliament for new sanctions to be adopted, for a ban on the purchase of Russian oil and for Sweden to close its ports to Russian ships.

On 24 March, at the extraordinary G7 summit in Brussels, the seven leaders of the member countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States) declared their readiness to sanction Russia more severely and to take " further sanctions if necessary " against Russia for invading Ukraine.

The UN General Assembly adopted on 24 March by 140 votes a resolution entitled "Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine" which "demands" from Russia an "immediate" end to the war in Ukraine. 38 countries abstained and 5 voted against. On the same day, UNICEF denounced the devastating consequences of the war in Ukraine on the child population, which has resulted in the displacement of 4.3 million children out of a total of 10 million displaced persons.

At the end of an extraordinary summit of NATO leaders in Brussels on 24 March, Allies agreed on the "need to provide more support to Ukraine", to provide "equipment to help Ukraine protect itself against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats" and to establish "four new battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia", "in addition to those already present in the three Baltic countries and Poland". The leaders also decided to extend the mandate of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg by one year, until 30 September 2023.

Meeting on 24 March, the European Council called on Russia to stop its attacks on civilians and to allow humanitarian aid into besieged towns. It called for a halt to the circumvention of sanctions and said it was ready to adopt new measures against Belarus and Russia. The 27 Heads of State and Government called on the Commission to take all necessary initiatives to facilitate the reception of refugees. They agreed to set up a solidarity trust fund in conjunction with international partners to contribute to the reconstruction of a democratic Ukraine. They also reaffirmed their support for Moldova.

Mobilised on 24 March at the request of EU Justice Ministers, Eurojust announced the establishment of a team of investigators to gather evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Eurojust will act as a relay and coordinator between Member States' investigations and the International Criminal Court.

On 28 March, Home Affairs Ministers reiterated the need to provide financial and material support to Member States hosting Ukrainian refugees, including by mapping reception and accommodation capacities and helping them to organise transfers. They mentioned the creation of a registration platform to exchange information on beneficiaries of temporary protection and national protection statuses. All these measures are based on the 10-point action plan presented by the Commission.

On 23 March, the Commission presented a proposal setting the minimum level of gas storage for the coming winter at 80% in order to guarantee energy supply. To limit the risks of external influence, it proposes a new mandatory certification of gas storage operators. The Commission also presented options for market intervention at EU and national level on energy prices and gas storage. It is ready to create a task force for joint gas procurement at EU level and to encourage future partnerships with major global energy suppliers.

On 23 March, the Commission presented actions to strengthen global food security, particularly in Ukraine and in countries dependent on cereal imports, and to support European farmers and consumers in the face of rising prices. A comprehensive mapping of risks and vulnerabilities in the EU food supply chain will be carried out and €500 million will be made available to help the producers most affected by the crisis. Finally, the Commission has proposed a new temporary autonomous framework to help farmers, fertiliser producers and the fisheries sector.

On 24 March, the Commission announced a strengthened partnership with the WHO to ensure access to medicines and health technologies in sub-Saharan Africa. A financial contribution of €24.5 million will support technology transfer to help local production of vaccines, strengthen demand and reinforce drug regulation. The Commission has also announced an increase in its cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights through a €14.4 million grant.

On 22 March, the Commission proposed a cybersecurity regulation aimed at reducing the risk exposure of EU institutions, bodies and agencies. It is based on the creation of an inter-institutional cybersecurity council and the extension of the mandate of the Computer Emergency Response Team for EU institutions, bodies and agencies (CERT-EU). The Commission also proposed a Regulation on information security to protect exchanges between the Union institutions and bodies by setting up an inter-institutional Information Security Coordination Group.

In an address to MEPs on 23 March, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for the unity of Member States to send more weapons and military equipment to Ukraine. He denounced "Putin's criminal invasion".

On 24 March, MEPs adopted a 10-year extension of the EU's mobile phone roaming regime by 581 votes to 2 with 5 abstentions. The scheme allows consumers to use their mobile phones when travelling in the EU at no extra cost than they already pay at home. The text must now be formally approved by the Council in order to enter into force.

The plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe met on 25 and 26 March in Strasbourg to discuss the proposals made by the 9 working groups in the presence of Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.

The Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries met on 21 March with an intervention by their Ukrainian counterpart via video conference. In the context of the war in Ukraine, they discussed the measures to be taken to guarantee food supplies in the short term and agreed on the need to strengthen the European Union's food sovereignty in the medium and long term. They also called for a transparent and rapid approval of the plans for the future CAP with more flexibility " to ensure food security in the wake of the war in Ukraine".

The Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement on 24 March on legislation to end the abuse of dominant positions by digital giants. After several months of negotiations, a compromise was reached between the European institutions on the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which should impose a series of obligations and bans on the Gafams - Google, Apple, Meta (Facebook), Amazon and Microsoft - to curb anti-competitive practices.

The European Union and the United States announced on 25 March that they had reached an agreement in principle on a new framework for the transfer of personal data, which is crucial for the digital economy, following the invalidation of previous arrangements by the European courts, notably the "Privacy Shield" in July 2020.

In Saarland, the SPD (Social Democratic Party) won the regional elections on 27 March with 43.5% of the vote ahead of the CDU (Christian Democratic Union), which obtained 28.5% and had governed the region since 1999.

From 29 March to 9 September, the Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum in Krakow is presenting an exhibition devoted to the Vistula River and its representation in books, maps, plans and atlases between the 16th and 19th centuries. For centuries, this river was the country's main transport route, linking the various Polish regions.

Until 3 July, the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny is presenting a dialogue between the late works of Claude Monet and the exceptional colours of Mark Rothko's paintings. The visitor is invited to contemplate, between the intensity sought by Mark Rothko and the immediate and fleeting aspect of the paintings of the master of Impressionism.

From 1 to 10 April, the city of Porto is hosting the 42nd edition of the Fantasporto festival, which presents all film genres. Several film sections are offered: "Fiction Films", "Orient Express" or "Portuguese Films", as well as conferences, book presentations and exhibitions on cinema.

The Museum of Modern Art in Prague is hosting an exhibition of works by painter and glass artist Karel Vaňura until 29 May... This 1960s artist created paintings and glass objects in an intricate and elaborate style while teaching art and design, having a significant influence on generations of artists.

Until 14 August, the Kumu Museum in Tallinn is hosting an exhibition of conceptual art with the aim of bringing together works from the Baltic States and Russia. However, following the recent military attack on Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the curators of the Kumu Museum have decided to leave the space reserved for Russian works empty.

Until 10 July, the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin is presenting an exhibition of works by the painter Paul Gauguin that were influenced by the colonialist view of the time. The exhibition entitled "Why are you angry" contextualises these works from a historical point of view and confronts them with the positions of contemporary artists.

The Henie-Onstad art centre in Sandvika (Norway) is presenting an exhibition of Guadalupe Maravilla's work for the first time in Europe until 7 August.

Cultural events in support of Ukraine continue across Europe. In France, the Cronenberg Music School will perform a concert in solidarity with Ukraine on 2 April. In Germany, the Günter Henle Foundation and the G. Henle Publishing House are offering a benefit concert for Ukraine. Henle publishers are offering a benefit concert on 2 April at the Tonhalle in Düsseldorf with Evgeny Kissin and Gidon Kremer. In Spain, ten artists will sing in a concert organised on 31 March by the Círculo de Bellas Artes and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. In Switzerland, the Lucerne Festival is offering a concert on 9 April with the soloists of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.

The National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden is presenting an exhibition on the Roman emperor Domitian until 22 May. Tracing his reign from 81 to 96, the exhibition highlights a forgotten golden age of the Roman Empire. Statues and reconstructions of rooms from the period remind visitors of the prosperity of Rome at that time.

Until 1 August, Dublin Castle is hosting a retrospective exhibition entitled "A Life in Painting" featuring the works of artist Patrick Reel. This exhibition retraces the painter's creative journey over more than 60 years: portraits, landscape studies, semi-abstract compositions, sketches/