As part of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Polish institute In.Europa is organising a seminar on 15 June, on the initiative of the Foundation and in cooperation with the French Embassy in Poland, on the theme of European sovereignty in matters of security and defence in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Romanian European Institute organised on 9 June, at the initiative of the Foundation, a conference in Bucharest on the theme of the European defence response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. You can watch the debate online.

The Commission launched a new project on 8 June to provide €7.25 million to support the International Criminal Court's capacity to investigate war crimes in Ukraine.

"War, along with other crises, threatens to unleash an unprecedented wave of hunger and misery, leaving behind social and economic chaos," warned UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 8 June, on the occasion of the release of a Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG) report on food, energy and financial systems. The number of food-insecure people is expected to reach 323 million in 2022, up from 135 million before the pandemic. 1.6 billion people in 96 countries are exposed to at least one of the three dimensions of the cost of living crisis (food, energy, finance).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed OECD members on 9 June, calling on them to help rebuild his country and continue to adopt sanctions against Russia. On 10 June, he spoke at the Democracy Summit in Copenhagen and also interacted with students from British universities. The Ukrainian President also spoke at the Shangri-La Security Summit on 11 June.

During her visit to Kyiv on 11 June, the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed the European Union's desire to help Ukraine rebuild after the war, in particular by setting up a platform between Ukraine and the European Union to implement reforms and channel investment. She recalled that efforts had to be made in the fight against corruption and in modernising the administration in order to attract investors.

The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefantchuk addressed the European Parliament on 8 June to call on the European Union to support his country's membership application. On 9 June, the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee meeting in Strasbourg published its recommendations. Condemning all forms of military aggression and abuse by Russia, it called on the European Commission to speed up its assessment process to give Ukraine official candidate status. On 7 June, Ruslan Stefantchuk met in Paris with the President of the French Senate, Gérard Larcher, who supports Ukraine's application to join the European Union.

Meeting in Brussels on 12 June under the aegis of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the High Representative, Josep Borrell, the leaders of the political parties represented in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina signed a political agreement on the maintenance of peace in the country, the rule of law and its European prospects.

On 9 June, the Commission proposed a regulation to temporarily improve access to the EU market for seven Moldovan products whose export to the EU is still subject to tariff quotas. These products are plums, table grapes, apples, tomatoes, garlic, cherries and grape juice.

In a resolution adopted on 7 June, MEPs stressed that without significant progress on reforms by Turkey, they could not support the resumption of accession negotiations. They criticised Turkey for the "continuous deterioration of the human rights situation in the country". They asked it to deal "in good faith" with Sweden's and Finland's applications for NATO membership. However, they believe that cooperation between the EU and Turkey in the field of foreign and security policy is essential and support the idea of negotiations to modernise the customs union.

On 9 June, MEPs approved the introduction of the International Public Procurement Instrument (IPPI) to limit access to European tenders by companies from third countries that do not offer similar access conditions to their public procurement markets. The instrument's measures will apply to tenders worth at least €15 million for works and concessions and at least €5 million for goods and services. The text has to be formally adopted by the Council.

As part of the proposed "Fit for 55" project to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 55% by 2030, MEPs approved on 8 June the proposed ban on the sale of combustion engine vehicles by 2035. They adopted a position on the proposal on land use, land use change and forests. However, they rejected three elements of the draft: the Social Climate Fund, the reform of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and the European Carbon Adjustment Mechanism (ECAM), which have been sent back to the parliamentary committee for further consideration.

The Parliament and the Council reached agreement on 7 June on plans to make USB Type-C the common charging port for all small and medium-sized portable electronic devices. This includes phones, tablets, e-readers, digital cameras, headphones and earphones. Computers will be covered after the entry into force of the text. The directive will allow consumers to buy new electronic equipment with or without a charging device.

Meeting on 10 June, the interior ministers gave broad support to the measures presented by the French Presidency of the Council to advance discussions on the reform of asylum and migration policy. They also adopted a general orientation on the reform of the Schengen Code and its evaluation and control mechanism. They adopted the general guidelines on the exchange of information and the regulation on the automated exchange of data. The day before, the Justice Ministers approved general guidelines on the exchange of digital information in terrorism cases, as well as on the draft directive on environmental crime, and adopted conclusions on children's rights. They discussed the protection of personal data in the context of international data transfers.

The ministers responsible for competitiveness, meeting on 9 and 10 June, adopted conclusions on Copernicus 2035, on space traffic management, and on the values and principles for international cooperation in research and innovation. They discussed the resilience and competitiveness of the European space programme, and how to support young researchers in times of crisis. They took stock of the state of play on the Semiconductor Regulation. They unanimously approved a general approach on the review of the consumer credit directive

At the start of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, EU Trade Ministers adopted conclusions on the organisation's reform. They want to put climate on the agenda, restore a "fully operational dispute settlement system" and support the launch of work programmes on food safety and trade distortion. They want to find solutions to increase the availability of vaccines for countries in need and stress the importance of concluding negotiations on fisheries subsidies to combat overfishing and illegal fishing.

From 15 to 18 June, Ljubljana is hosting the 63rd edition of its jazz festival, which brings together musicians from all over the world and offers concerts throughout the city. This year, it pays tribute to the American musician Alice Coltrane.

Until 23 October, the gardens of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam are home to nine sculptures by Barbara Hepworth. A rare female artist who achieved success with her sculptures in the 1960s and 1970s, she made bronze her speciality.

From 17 to 19 June, the village of Butuceni in Moldova will host the fifth edition of the classical music festival "DescOpera". The event offers a repertoire of the greatest classics, performed in a setting deepin the countryside by several famous Moldovan and foreign artists.

Until 19 June, the Lustholmen festival marks the start of the summer season in Stockholm with a programme of dance, music and art exhibitions, as well as hands-on workshops for the public to try their hand at contemporary dance.

Until 30 July, the Fourvière Nights are bringing the city of Lyon to life. On the occasion of this meeting between the archaeological heritage of the Fourvière theatre and art, the festival hosts a rich and multidisciplinary artistic programme.

The Soulages Museum in Rodez is presenting the exhibition "Fernand Léger, la vie à bras le corps" until 6 November. By linking 40 years of the artist's life through 86 of his works, the exhibition offers a "concentrate of his dynamism" and shows his multicoloured and geometrical paintings, his marked contrasts and his deconstructed forms.

Until 11 September, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid is presenting a retrospective of the work by American painter Alex Katz, one of the leading figures in 20th century American art. The exhibition brings together some thirty large-format oil paintings and several studies by the precursor of Pop Art.

The National Museum in Krakow is presenting the private collection of Jan Lubomirski-Lanckoronski until 16 October. The exhibition features works by Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Le Corbusier and Joan Miró. The works of pop and street artists, including Andy Warhol and Banksy, are also on display.

Across Europe, the arts continue to mobilise for Ukraine. In Germany, in Hamburg, the photographs of the artist Polina Slyusar are on display until 17 July as part of the "Art Meetings" event. In France, until 30 June for the Digital Art Month, digital works calling for peace in Ukraine are on display in the streets of Paris. On 16 June in London, pianist Ashley Fripp will give a solo concert to raise funds for Ukraine. In Spain, the Minister of Finance and Public Affairs, Maria Jesus Montero, has launched the distribution of a medal, struck as a symbol of the country's solidarity with Ukraine. The proceeds from the purchase of the medal will be donated to those affected by the war. On 17 June in Warsaw the Ukrainian rock band "Okean Elzy" will give a charity concert at the Polonia stadium, the proceeds of which will be donated to children and war refugees.

The Bucharest Biennial of Contemporary Art will run until 3 July. By transcending specific political, historical and geographical contexts, it creates a space for the analysis and reorientation of current social, political and economic imaginaries. Artists such as Andreea Chirică or Josef Polleross are part of this project.

From 16 to 19 June, the city of Basel will host the major international art fair ArtBasel, which will bring together the works of more than 4,000 artists and the collections of over 200 galleries from all over the world in the city and its surroundings.