On 24 April, the Slovenians are due to renew the 90 members of the Drzavni Zbor (Assembly), the lower house of the bicameral parliament. The Democratic Party (SDS) of outgoing Prime Minister Janez Jansa is running neck and neck with the Movement for Freedom (GS) of Robert Golob. The first party is expected to win 16.8% of the vote and the second 16.7%. The Social Democrats (SD) are estimated to win 9.4% and the Left (L), New Slovenia (NSi) 5%.

To better understand 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 paper and digital versions...

Since 1 April, the state of emergency has been lifted in Italy, all health restrictions have been lifted in Bulgaria, and masks are only required in public transport and medical facilities in Estonia. In Spain, Covid-19 is now considered as influenza. 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.

In response to the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the EU has set up a €672.5 billion recovery fund, called the Recovery and Resilience Facility, for Member States in the form of grants and loans. 23 plans have so far been approved by the Commission, including Sweden's on 29 March, 21 countries have received the planned pre-financing, and 2 countries have received a first tranche after meeting a series of targets. The Commission has not yet approved the Hungarian and Polish plans due to the infringement of the rule of law. The Foundation provides you with an interactive map of the plans country by country, to see the amounts, timetables and priorities.

On 31 March, the Foundation organised a video conference on economic rules that can promote growth in Europe. You can watch the debate in full.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has addressed the Belgian, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian and Australian parliaments. He urged Dutch MPs to stop buying Russian gas. He asked for Danish help in the reconstruction of Mykolaiv, and called on the Belgians to continue delivering arms to Ukraine. In the Norwegian parliament, he stressed the Ukrainian need for anti-ship missiles, anti-aircraft systems and armoured vehicle systems. He also called for more sanctions against Russia and military aid for Ukraine when speaking to Australian MPs.

On 1 April, Europol announced the deployment of operational teams to European countries bordering Ukraine to support them in receiving Ukrainian refugees. These teams, consisting of Europol specialists and guest officers, assist national authorities by organising secondary security checks and identifying terrorists and criminals who may be attempting to enter the EU through the flow of refugees.

The Commission proposed on 1 April to offer people fleeing Ukraine the same conditions to exchange their Ukrainian currency, hryvnia, into the local currency of the host country.

Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania decided on 1 April to stop importing Russian gas, explaining that they can rely partly on underground gas reserves in Latvia. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called on other EU countries to follow the Baltic countries' example and stop importing Russian gas.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on 1 April that the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is worsening. It has so far helped 1 million people affected by the war and aims to support more than 3 million internally displaced people in the coming months. It has pre-positioned nearly 40,000 tonnes of food for distribution. For its part, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that the attempt to evacuate humanitarian aid from the city of Mariupol had failed and that humanitarian convoys could not pass.

The European Union's High Representative, Josep Borrell, condemned on 4 April the atrocities perpetrated by Russian forces in Ukraine, in particular in the town of Boutcha. He held the Russian authorities responsible and recalled that Europe supports the investigations by the International Criminal Court prosecutor on war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as the work of the commission of enquiry of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Council approved on 4 April the release of an additional €420 million in aid for the reception of people fleeing the war in Ukraine. It also adopted the CARE regulation allowing Member States to redirect unallocated cohesion policy funds for the period 2014-2020 and from the European Fund for the Most Deprived. In addition, Member States can use up to €9.5 billion under the 2022 tranche of REACT-EU. In total, almost €17 billion is available.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on 29 March that as a result of the war in Ukraine food shortages are expected in the coming weeks and months. The hostilities have caused "major disruptions to supply chains and markets throughout Ukraine and people are facing challenges in accessing food".

On 1 April, the Commission presented measures to revise the system of geographical indications for wines, spirits and agricultural products. It proposes to shorten and simplify the registration procedure, to strengthen the protection of geographical indications online, to encourage the social, environmental or economic sustainability of production, and to strengthen the role of producer groups in the management and development of their geographical indication.

The Council gave its final approval on 4 April to the extension of the free roaming system until 2032. The regulation, which will enter into force on 1 July, protects EU citizens who will be able to continue making calls, sending texts and surfing the web while travelling in other EU Member States without incurring extra costs.

On 30 March, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs presented a communication to the French Council of Ministers on the mid-term review of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Major progress was made in three areas in particular: the reciprocity instrument in access to public contracts was the subject of a complete agreement on 14 March after 10 years of negotiations, the border carbon adjustment mechanism was the subject of a political agreement on 15 March, and the legislation on digital markets (Digital Markets Act) was the subject of a complete agreement on 24 March.

Eurozone Finance Ministers discussed the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine on 4 April, underlining the forthcoming slowdown in growth without raising alarm about the risk of an inflationary spiral. They recalled the importance of adopting an "agile trade policy" and the need to encourage private and public investment. They discussed the digital euro and the need to take into account the protection of privacy. For the first time, they discussed the evolution of the housing market and its consequences.

The Commission announced on 31 March the priorities of the partnership with Niger. The €300 million partnership focuses on growth, education and food security. Côte d'Ivoire has launched projects worth €58 million to support education and "sustainable and digital growth" in the cocoa sector. The Commission announced a contribution of €44.7 million to strengthen water infrastructure in Ghana.

On 31 March, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a recommendation on the use of information obtained in conflict zones as evidence in criminal proceedings. Such information, provided that it has been obtained in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and the rule of law, may be used in the context of the conviction of terrorist activities.

Annual inflation in the euro area rose to 7.5% in March from 5.9% in February, according to Eurostat's estimate published on 1 April. Energy is again expected to show the highest increase (44.7%, compared to 32% in February).

On 30 March, the IMF published its mission report on economic development in Cyprus in 2022. It notes that the country is exposed to the consequences of the war in Ukraine and forecasts a drop in the GDP growth rate from 5.5% in 2021 to 2% in 2022. It recommends an adjustment of Cyprus' fiscal and budgetary policies.

On 31 March, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg published his Annual Report for 2021. Looking back on the central events of the past year, such as the Brussels Summit in June, cooperation with Ukraine, and the adoption of the NATO 2030 Agenda, he reaffirmed the need for Europe and North America to help each other in these troubled times.

On 31 March, the WTO launched a dashboard that consolidates its statistics and provides faster access to the organisation's trade and tariff data. The new tool features customisable charts and maps for better visualisation of data.

The Sami people of Norway are holding their Easter festival in Kautokeino, the largest Sami municipality in the country. Concerts, art exhibitions, film screenings and theatre performances will be part of the festival, which runs from 9 to 18 April.

The National Museum in Gdansk is offering a series of lectures on Ukrainian art and its history until 9 June, initiated by the community of art historians in Gdansk. Its meetings, entitled "Let's get to know each other", relate the turbulent history of the Ukrainian nation to the artistic currents that accompanied it.

The Salzburg Easter Festival takes place from 9 to 18 April. The compositions of Richard Wagner will be in the spotlight, and a tribute will be paid to Johannes Brahms on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of his death, with a performance of his Fourth Symphony.

From 6 April to 4 September, the Picasso Museum will be presenting a technical study of Pablo Picasso's Blue Period. The exhibition, which is partly based on the use of digital tools, looks at the creative processes, compositional materials and different layers of colour used by the artist, as well as the contextualisation and relationship of these works to others.

From April 7 to 10, the Grand Palais Éphémère will host the Paris Art Fair. Based on the themes of natural history and the environment, the fair will bring together a selection of works from 130 galleries in some twenty countries.

The 34th Dresden Short Film Festival is taking place from 5 to 10 April. German and international films are competing for the jury prizes, and several films are also being shown outside the selection.

The Tampere Biennial takes place from 6 to 10 April. This festival introduces the public to contemporary Finnish music and has been held every two years since 1986. This year the festival explores the theme of mental landscapes.

Cultural events in support of Ukraine continue in Europe. In France, the Château de Versailles and the Département des Yvelines are offering a charity concert on 8 April, and in Toulouse the Gesu music associations are organising a "music for peace" festival. In Germany, two concerts are being held at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg on 11 and 12 April, featuring the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Ensemble Resonanz and the NDR Vokalensemble. In Spain, three orchestras and 120 singers perform on 8 April at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona in a call for peace. In Poland, the cultural centre in Racibórz, Silesia, is offering a free concert on 9 April, during which a food drive for Ukrainians is being organised.