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Most of the health measures put in place during the winter have been lifted. Greece has announced that from 1 May to 31 August it will no longer be compulsory to wear a mask and vaccination certificates will no longer be required in restaurants, bars and shops. To find out what is happening in the Member States, the Foundation provides a comprehensive map of the measures in place. An indispensable, regularly updated resource.

Europol launched "Operation Oscar" on 11 April to support Member States' financial investigations targeting criminal assets held by persons subject to EU sanctions in connection with the war in Ukraine. It also aims to support criminal investigations in relation to the circumvention of EU trade and economic sanctions. The operation will facilitate the exchange of information between the partners and mobilise the Frontex and Eurojust agencies.

The WTO released its outlook for the world economy on 12 April. As a result of the war in Ukraine, which is causing commodity prices to rise, economists have revised world trade estimates downwards, forecasting growth in the volume of merchandise trade of 3% in 2022, compared with 4.7% previously. The lockdowns in China are another factor of economic uncertainty, disrupting maritime trade. The WTO forecasts world GDP growth at market exchange rates of 2.8% in 2022.

To support the Ukrainian armed forces, the Council added €500 million on 13 April to the resources already mobilised under the European Peace Facility, tripling the initial budget to €1.5 billion. The assistance measures agreed upon will finance the supply of equipment, personal protective equipment, fuel and military equipment designed to deliver lethal force for defence purposes to the Ukrainian armed forces by the Member States.

On 11 April, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to call for humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, a ceasefire and investigations into war crimes. K. Nehammer said after the meeting that Putin remains in a "logic of war".

An OSCE expert mission presented a report on 13 April on violations of humanitarian law and war crimes committed in Ukraine since 24 February, in which it noted "clear patterns of violations of international humanitarian law by Russian forces in the conduct of hostilities". On the same day, representatives of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the Council of Europe called on Russia to stop attacking and destroying Ukrainian religious sites and places of worship as these, together with the killing of civilians, constitute crimes against humanity.

On 13 April, the Council introduced humanitarian exceptions to the sanctions in relation to the situation in Ukraine. In particular, certain humanitarian institutions and organisations are exempt from restrictions on economic relations with Donbass. In addition, the Commission has released €9 million from the EU4Health programme to help Member States provide psychological support to displaced persons and refugees in need of rapid psychological care.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Lithuanian, Estonian and Korean parliaments. He called on Estonia to promote a complete blockade of Russian banks and an embargo on Russian energy imports in the European Union. "If there is still no clarity on Russian gas, we cannot be sure that there is a common will in Europe to stop Russia's war crimes," he told the Lithuanian Parliament. V. Zelensky also called on South Korea to supply arms to Ukraine.

On 13 April, the Presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland visited the Kyiv region and met their Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. The visit, initiated by Poland, started in Borodianka to witness the material damage and abuses committed by Russia. The four heads of state condemned the war crimes and called for those responsible to be brought to international justice.

On 13 April, the Council adopted a decision amending the mandate of the Civilian Security Sector Reform Mission in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine). Under the amended mandate, EUAM Ukraine will also provide support to the Ukrainian authorities to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of any international crimes committed in the context of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine.

On 13 April, the Council approved a Council Recommendation on the conversion of banknotes denominated in hryvnias into the currency of Member States hosting people fleeing the war in Ukraine. The aim is to allow Ukrainian refugees to convert up to 10,000 hryvnias (about €310) into the currency of their host country free of charge.

In its latest situation report published on 12 April, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced that more than 870,000 Ukrainians have returned to their country, at a rate of almost 30,000 every day. The UN says that 13 million people remain trapped in a conflict zone, 4.7 million have fled Ukraine and it estimates that 7.1 million are internally displaced. 950 schools have also been damaged or destroyed. The UN nevertheless welcomes the nutritional support provided to the most vulnerable populations through its World Food Programme (WFP). It also warns of the risks of trafficking and exploitation faced by women and children.

On 12 April, the Council adopted a legislative act on the increase of the pre-financing of REACT-EU to facilitate the reception of refugees from Ukraine. An additional €3.5 billion of pre-financing is being made available to Member States hosting refugees.

On 13 April, the Commission tabled a proposal for a regulation to protect the intellectual property of craft and industrial products through European system. The proposal provides for a simple and inexpensive registration procedure for producers wishing to use the geographical indication and guarantees full coordination with existing international protection. The aim is to support the development of rural areas by highlighting the originality and authenticity of traditional practices.

On 14 April, at the "Our Ocean" conference, the European Union presented its 44 commitments for the protection of the ocean, representing a sum of almost €1 billion. Nearly €500 million will initially be devoted to research, development and innovation. The European Union has made commitments to protect marine areas, to combat maritime pollution and to fight the ocean-climate crisis.

On 12 April, the Ministers for European Affairs met to discuss the situation of the rule of law in Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands and Austria. The countries concerned presented the specificities and developments of their national framework in this area. They also discussed the proposals of the plenary assembly of the Conference on the Future of Europe held on 8 and 9 April.

The Council adopted its position on 13 April on the European Green Bond Regulation regarding the introduction of standards for bond issuers who wish to use the name "European Green Bond" or "EuGB". This regulation establishes a registration system and a supervisory framework for external examiners of European green bonds.

Foreign Affairs Ministers exchanged views with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Kha], on 11 April to determine Russia's responsibility for violations of international law in Ukraine. They discussed the Global Gateway, a strategy to make the European Union a geopolitical actor. They discussed the situation in Mali and decided to suspend, or even stop, some of the operations of the EUTM Mali and EUCAP Sahel Mal missions.

Until 31 July, the Kaunas Art Museum is offering a retrospective of the work of the artist Marina Abramovic. Organised as part of the "Kaunas 2022, European Capital of Culture" programme, the exhibition retraces the various performances of the Serbian conceptual art pioneer through films and photos.

The Musée d'Orsay is presenting a retrospective devoted to the sculptor Aristide Maillol until 31 August, the first in a Parisian museum since the one presented in 1961 at the Musée national d'art moderne. Until July 17, it is also presenting an exhibition on Antonio Gaudí through drawings, models and numerous works of furniture, which have never been exhibited in France before.

The Venice Biennale, the world's largest event dedicated to contemporary art, will open on 23 April and run until 27 November. The event is divided into three parts. One is dedicated to the national pavilions, of which there are 80. Another section comprises the international pavilion. Finally, a third part, scattered throughout the city, constitutes the "off": galleries and artists gather around the Biennial to display and showcase their work.

The MOMus-Museum Alex Mylona in Athens is presenting "In the Sculptor's Studio", an exhibition on contemporary Greek sculpture, until 11 September.

The Fernán Gómez de la Villa cultural centre in Madrid is presenting an exhibition on Antonio Gades until 29 May. The dancer and choreographer was a key figure in 20th century dance and theatre. The exhibition includes scores, posters, stage costumes, photographs and audiovisual documents of Gades' work.

Until 30 April, the 36th edition of Jazz in April is taking place in Espoo, as well as in Helsinki and Tampere with a concert in each city.

Until 24 July, the Leopold Museum in Vienna is presenting an exhibition on the cartoonist and illustrator Alfred Kubin (1877-1859), whose work, based on the ravages of war, pandemics, natural disasters, manipulation of the masses and other abysses of human existence, seems to be very much in tune with current events.

Until 15 May, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, the Friends of the Museum and the Ocalenie Foundation invite you to the Refugees Welcome charity art sale, the proceeds of which will go to help refugees.

Cultural events in support of Ukraine continue in Europe. In France, on 23 April, a concert will take place in Mireval. In Germany, the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra is touring starting on 25 April to Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, Freiburg, Hanover and Hamburg. In Belgium, all proceeds from the "Merci, Maestro" concert, an international competition for young pianists held from 21 to 24 April, will go to Ukraine. In Spain, on 28 April, the Granada City Council is organising a concert by local artists in association with the Spanish Red Cross. In Poland, the "Free Ukraine" volunteer concert will take place in Warsaw from 24 to 27 April. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd have recorded their first new song since 1994, entitled "Hey Hey Rise Up", the proceeds of which will be donated to humanitarian work for the Ukrainians.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona (MACBA) is presenting the exhibition "Teresa Lanceta. Weaving as Open Source", which features a wide selection of tapestries, weavings, fabrics, drawings, photographs and videos, offering the most complete overview of the artist's work from the 1970s to the present day.