The Foundation is organising an online debate on 30 June at 2pm on the European Union's digital policy, between regulation and technological ambition. This videoconference will be held in the framework of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is obligatory register to participate.

On 23 June, the European Council decided to grant candidate country status to Ukraine and Moldova, and gave a perspective to Georgia. They welcomed the lifting of the Bulgarian veto on the opening of negotiations with Northern Macedonia and the political agreement reached on 12 June 2022 by the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 21 June, following the 3 Seas Initiative Summit in Riga, the heads of state and representatives of the 12 participating states granted Ukraine partner status and supported its application to join the European Union. They announced continued investment in energy, transport and telecommunications in the Western Balkan countries.

The Spanish, Italian and German governments are introducing measures to limit inflation and the risk of gas shortages in the context of the war in Ukraine. The Spanish and Italian governments are lowering VAT to 5%, Italy on gas consumption and Spain on electricity. The Spanish government announced on 25 June a €200 grant for low-income households. On 23 June, the German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, announced the implementation of phase 2 of the emergency gas plan. 15 billion euros are being mobilised to allow gas reservoirs to be refilled, and coal-fired power stations will be brought back into operation. In France, Catherine MacGregor, CEO of Engie, Jean-Bernard Lévy, Chairman and CEO of EDF, and Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, are calling for urgent sobriety in the face of soaring energy prices.

UNESCO has identified 152 sites that have been destroyed or damaged since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, including religious and historical sites, cultural centres, libraries, monuments and museums. UNESCO has launched a series of initiatives to protect heritage from destruction, including placing sites under the protection of the 1954 Hague Convention. In addition to documenting the damage and destruction, the organisation has already created a fund dedicated to future reconstruction.

Russia has threatened Lithuania over the past few days because of the controls applied by the Lithuanian authorities on freight trains bound for the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The Lithuanian government and the European Commission have clarified that these controls are carried out in application of legal sanctions adopted by the European Union and do not constitute a blockade as they only concern goods under sanctions.

On 22 June, the Commission presented rules to strengthen the implementation of the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) chapters of EU trade agreements. In particular, it wants to open up new markets for the import and export of green goods and services as well as raw materials and make it possible to apply trade sanctions in the event of violations of the Paris climate agreement. It intends to include civil society more by being more transparent about the agreements and making it easier to challenge violations of sustainable development commitments.

In a debate with MEPs on 22 June, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expressed his wish to see the status of Bosnia and Herzegovina change, subject to certain conditions. He also welcomed the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe but expressed reservations about the introduction of majority voting on foreign policy issues. MEPs voiced their support for Croatia's membership of the eurozone and its entry into the Schengen area.

On 21 June, EU Affairs Ministers adopted conclusions on a seamless enlarged internal market and relations with non-EU countries in Western Europe. They adopted conclusions calling for new measures to protect media professionals whose safety and freedom of expression are increasingly under threat. They suggested the establishment of a framework for a coordinated response to hybrid campaigns threatening the European Union. Finally, they approved conclusions on the outermost regions.

The Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on 21 June regarding the publication of sustainability information by companies (CSRD). The text will require companies with more than 500 employees, listed companies, certain SMEs and non-EU companies with a turnover of more than €150 million in the EU to publish information on non-financial issues such as the impact of their activities on social, human and environmental rights. The sustainability standards will be determined by the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG).

On 22 June, the Council adopted its position on the amendment of the Eurodac Regulation with a view to combating irregular movements and facilitating the return of illegal immigrants. The proposal extends the content of the database, replaces the monitoring of applications with that of asylum seekers, and ensures its interoperability with other European information systems. The Council also adopted its position on the screening regulation, which aims to strengthen the control of persons on the external borders and to direct people quickly to the appropriate procedure. States will have to put in place an independent mechanism to monitor respect for fundamental rights during screening.

The Council and Parliament reached agreement on 23 June on the regulation on serious cross-border health threats, providing for the establishment of a plan for warning of and managing health crises and pandemics. The Commission will be able to declare a public health emergency at EU level which will enable the monitoring of drug shortages. The Council and Parliament also agreed on the possibility for the Commission and Member States to engage in joint procurement of medical countermeasures.

On 27 June, the Council definitively adopted the regulation aimed at ensuring sufficient gas storage before the winter season. These reserves, which will have to be filled to at least 80% of their capacity before the start of the winter of 2022/2023, can be shared between Member States and will make it possible to strengthen the European Union's security of energy supply in the context of the war in Ukraine. The text specifies that gas storage facilities will be qualified as "critical infrastructure" and encourages Member States to diversify their sources of supply. The Parliament adopted it on 23 June.

Meeting on 28 June, the energy ministers adopted their position on the revision of the energy efficiency directive and the renewable energy directive. They exchanged views regarding the decarbonisation objectives and the level of preparation of the Member States to deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine on energy in Europe. The ministers welcomed the REPowerEU plan and the creation of the joint energy procurement platform, and adopted the regulation on gas storage, which aims to ensure that gas storage facilities in the EU are ready before winter.

On 22 June, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez launched a new EU-Latin America and Caribbean partnership on the local production of vaccines, medicines and other health technologies and on strengthening the resilience of health systems. The aim of the partnership is to stimulate growth, spur private sector innovation, facilitate trade, diversify global value chains and strengthen scientific, diplomatic and human links between Europe and Latin America.

The Commission and the Norwegian government agreed on 23 June to strengthen cooperation between the EU and Norway in the field of energy. They recalled the importance of Norwegian oil and gas production for Europe's energy security, especially since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. This enhanced partnership should ensure additional supplies of Norwegian gas in the short and long term.

Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, visited Iran on 25 June for talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and to encourage the resumption of talks on the Iran nuclear deal. Josep Borrell reiterated the importance of reaching an agreement and maintaining a relationship of trust with Iran, a major "potential energy supplier".

A meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers and the EU High Representative took place on 24 June prior to the Summit of Heads of State and Government. Ministers restated Russia's responsibility for the global food crisis and reiterated their commitment to support Ukraine.

The report on the digital commons is the result of work carried out by 19 Member States (Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) and the European Commission. It formulates four proposals to ensure Europe's digital sovereignty: the creation of a European one-stop shop to direct communities towards the appropriate funding and public aid; the launch of a call for projects to rapidly deploy financial aid to the most strategic commons; the creation of a European foundation for the digital commons, with governance shared between the States, the European Commission and the digital commons communities; the implementation of the principle of the "digital commons by default" in the development of digital tools for public administrations.

The Bulgarian Parliament voted on 24 June to lift the country's veto on the opening of accession negotiations between North Macedonia and the European Union. The decision was adopted with 170 votes in favour, 37 against and 21 abstentions. Several conditions were nevertheless set by the parliamentarians, including ensuring the inclusion of Bulgarians in the constitution of North Macedonia and guaranteeing that the accession process does not imply recognition by Bulgaria of the Macedonian language.

According to the European Parliament's Eurobarometer published on 22 June, the war in Ukraine has led to the highest level of support for the European Union (EU) since 2007. 65% of European citizens view their country's membership of the EU favourably; 52% of Europeans have a positive image of the EU and 80% say they support the economic sanctions against Russia. The impact of the war is also reflected in the fundamental values and political priorities cited by citizens: the defence of freedom and democracy.

From 3 July to 19 March 2023, the West Coast Art Museum in Alkersum is hosting an exhibition on the research into the history of Max Liebermann's "Drying Laundry - Bleach".

The Summer Nights festival organised by the CaixaForum cultural centre will take place in Barcelona throughout the summer until 31 August. There will be numerous film screenings, concerts and exhibitions. Cellist Ana Carla Maza will perform on 6 July.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Wroclaw is presenting the exhibition "Metascore of New Gestures" until 26 September, which analyses the artistic experiments of Ewa and Jacek Doroszenko conducted between 2016 and 2022. With the help of sound installations, videos and graphic works, the artist duo explores and crosses the notions of space, visuality and sound.

From 30 June to 3 July, the historic city of Loulé in Portugal will bring together the biggest names in world music for one of the most important festivals in Europe. The Med Festival offers a rich programme with 66 concerts on 12 stages, but also art exhibitions and other cultural events.

The 56th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic takes place from 1 to 9 July and welcomes feature films from all over the world, devoting part of its programme to Central and Eastern European cinema.

From 1 to 31 July, the Savonlinna Opera Festival is being held in Finland. World-famous soloists and operas take the stage in the medieval setting of Olav Castle.

The war in Ukraine continues to mobilise the cultural world in Europe. On 30 June in Dublin, members of the Celtic music group Kila will perform in support of Ukraine. From 2 to 9 July, Ukraine will be in the spotlight at the Casino de Paris, where the Virsky company, the National Ensemble of Ukraine, will give a series of exceptional performances. Until 3 July in Hamburg, the photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind is exhibiting outdoor portraits of mothers fleeing Ukraine with their children, which she took during a trip to Lviv. In Poland, the cultural association "Pegaz" and the Stanislaw Moniusko Theatre in Poznan are mobilising as part of a programme in support of Ukraine called Opera Helps U, aimed at artists from Ukraine forced to leave their country. Until 17 July, Madrid has launched an extensive campaign to raise awareness and donations in support of Ukraine, which is taking place in many educational centres and at entertainment and cultural events.

From 29 June to 11 July, the second edition of the "L'Offrande Musicale" Festival is being held in the Hautes-Pyrénées. The Festival supports the cause of disability in France, working to improve access to music for people with special needs. The programme includes three premieres in France for the shows and concerts "Watermusic22" with Antoine Wagner and the Concert d'Astrée, John Neumeier's ballet "Ghost Light" and Ricardo Muti's "Concert de l'amitié".

Until 11 September, the National Museum of Oslo is presenting the exhibition "I Call it Art", which explores the distinction between what is considered Art and what is not. This reflection on the very definition of art also includes an analysis of themes such as identity, democracy and belonging.

From 30 June to 6 July, London's Royal Hospital Chelsea is hosting the Masterpiece Art Fair. More than 120 exhibitors from all over the world will be there to present works from different periods and origins. The fair will award the Masterpiece prize to the best exhibitor.

There are two exhibitions in Basel this summer. Until 9 October, the Beyeler Foundation is presenting an exhibition on the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth. The exhibition traces the artistic development of this leading artist of the avant-garde movement up to the 1920s. In addition, the art museum is presenting an exhibition until 25 September that highlights the influence of the Cretan master El Greco on Pablo Picasso. The exhibition juxtaposes more than 40 works by Picasso and El Greco. It comprises prestigious loans from all over the world and works from the Museum's collection.