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. 25 plans have so far been adopted by the Council, and Poland's plan has been conditionally approved by the Commission. 21 countries have received the planned pre-financing and 5 countries have received a first instalment after meeting a series of targets. On 30 June, the Commission proposed an updated allocation of grants to Member States, taking into account the evolution of their GDP since 2020. The Commission has not yet approved Hungary's plan because of infringements of the rule of law. The Foundation proposes an interactive map of the plans country by country, to learn about the amounts, timetables and priorities.

On 30 June, the Foundation organised an online debate on the European Union's digital policy, between regulation and technological ambition, with Laure Chapuis, from the European Commission, Brunessen Bertrand, lecturer at the University of Rennes, and Victor Storchan, artificial intelligence engineer. This videoconference, which took place during the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, is available online.

On 29 June, the Commission presented "Flexible Territorial Assistance" to help deal with the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This measure is part of the cohesion policy and offers additional funding support. Improvements include increased support for those hosting displaced persons (Member States, local authorities and civil society organisations), proper distribution and reception of investments and practical support to overcome delays in project implementation.

Former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen was in Kyiv on 1 July to chair the first meeting of the Group on International Security Guarantees for Ukraine. On the same day, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met the Ukrainian President. On 28 June, the day of the celebration of the Ukrainian Constitution, a 10-member cross-party delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe visited Kyiv. It expressed shock at the evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. On the same day, a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) visited Kyiv. Moldovan President Maia Sandu met her counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on 27 June.

On 1 July, the Commission adopted a decision authorising Member States to grant temporary exemption from customs duties and VAT on imports from third countries for Ukrainians. This exemption applies to foodstuffs, electrical generators and other vital equipment imported by state organisations and by organisations of a "charitable or philanthropic" nature approved by the competent authorities in the Member States.

The Commission proposed on 1 July a new €1 billion macro-financial assistance (MFA) operation for Ukraine, the first part of the €9 billion package announced by the Commission in May 2022 and endorsed by the European Council on 23-24 June. The proposal must be approved by the Parliament and the Council.

On 1 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Speaker of the Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) Ruslan Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed a joint declaration on the strategic goal of full membership of Ukraine in the European Union. The European flag was installed in the Parliament and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, gave a speech on this occasion.

The Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on 28 June on the directive on the resilience of critical entities aimed at reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening the physical resilience of critical entities. Sectors such as energy, transport, health, drinking water, waste water or space will be covered by the directive.

On 28 June, the environment ministers adopted five texts from the "Fit for 55" package: the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS); effort sharing; the Social Climate Fund; CO2 emission performance standards for new cars; and the regulation on greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF). They adopted a text aimed at ensuring that products consumed in the EU do not contribute to deforestation and forest degradation worldwide, and discussed the proposal to tighten the rules on waste shipments.

On 29 June, the Council adopted the creation of a new Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) authority. The authority will have the power to supervise certain types of financial and credit institutions, including 40 groups and entities and providers of services on crypto-assets that are deemed risky. The Council has yet to decide where the new authority will be based.

The Council adopted its position on 29 June on the regulation on the European Union's secure connectivity programme for the period 2023-2027. It aims to establish a "sovereign space system for secure connectivity" to ensure the provision of satellite communication services ("satcom") and to provide governmental and commercial services for the protection of critical infrastructure. The Council also clarifies the role of the EU Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) and encourages "support for an innovative and competitive space sector".

The Council and the Parliament reached an agreement on 30 June on the Regulation on foreign subsidies distorting the internal market. It will allow the Commission to investigate any economic activity benefiting from a third country subsidy in the internal market using 3 tools: two prior authorisation tools and a general market investigation tool. If a company fails to notify a subsidised concentration or financial contribution in the context of public procurement, the Commission may impose fines. The notification thresholds will be €500 million for mergers and €250 million for public procurement.

The Council and the Parliament reached agreement on 30 June on the proposed Regulation on crypto-assets (MiCA) aimed at protecting investors, preserving financial stability and encouraging innovation. On 29 June, they reached agreement on the proposal to update the rules on information accompanying fund transfers by extending their scope to transfers of crypto-assets.

The Czech Republic took over the six-month presidency of the Council on 1 July. Its agenda includes managing the refugee crisis, reconstruction of Ukraine, energy security, defence capacity building, strategic economic resilience and democratic institutions. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, visited Prague on 30 June for talks with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. The Commission's College met with the Czech government on 1 July in Litomysl.

The Takuba Task Force, which operated in Mali against jihadist groups as part of Operation Barkhane, ended on 30 June. Launched in March 2020 under French leadership, it involved 800 soldiers from 10 EU Member States.

The composition of the new French government, headed by Elisabeth Borne, was announced on 4 July. The government has 41 ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries of state, including 20 women in addition to the Prime Minister. The economist Laurence Boone is the new Secretary of State for European Affairs.

On 29 June, the OECD and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) released their Agricultural Outlook for the Decade 2022-2031. It highlights the impact of the war in Ukraine on food security, and stresses the importance of peace and transformation of food systems to address food security problems and increase agricultural productivity. The outlook projects an increase in agricultural production of 1.1% per year and an increase in food consumption of 1.4% per year over the next decade.

The IMF estimated in a report published on 30 June that the Slovak economy will slow down in 2022 due to the country's proximity to the war in Ukraine, its dependence on Russian energy and its high level of integration into global value chains. Growth is expected to be 2.2% in 2022 and 3.5% in 2023, with inflation averaging 10% in both years.

In its Strategic Outlook 2022 report published on 29 June, the Commission sets out 10 areas of action to ensure that the two transitions - climate and digital - are linked. It recommends, among other things, "strategically managing the supply of critical materials and commodities", strengthening investment in new technologies and infrastructure in the field of research, promoting a robust framework for cyber security and secure data sharing, and supporting labour mobility between the energy, transport, industry, construction and agriculture sectors.

The annual inflation rate in the euro zone is estimated at 8.6% in June, compared with 8.1% in May, according to a study published on 1 July by Eurostat, the European Union's statistical office.

From the 7th to the 9th of July, the BBK Live festival will take place in Bilbao with concerts by Spanish and international musicians such as LCD Soundsystem, Stromae, The Killers and Pet Shop Boys.

The 56th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival will run until 16 July. More than 500 concerts and activities await you on 13 stages, reflecting the Festival's incredible musical diversity.

From 7 to 11 July, five evenings of open-air concerts will enliven Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt. A wide range of musical genres, from Verdi's opera to Benny Goodman's jazz, offers a programme suitable for all audiences.

Galway International Arts Festival: From 11 to 24 July, Galway's historic city centre will host an international arts festival featuring internationally renowned artists. Dance, theatre, music concerts, visual arts exhibitions and other artistic activities are on the programme.

From 6 to 9 July, the city of Riga is hosting the International Early Music Festival, which offers classical music concerts in prestigious churches and concert halls in the city as well as in the Rundale Palace. Performances of Purcell, Vivaldi, Telemann, Gluck or Handel will be given and the final concert will take place in the palace gardens.

Until 16 October, the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts is presenting the exhibition "The Colour of Ideas" on the works of Henri Matisse. The selection of over 150 paintings in the exhibition is drawn from the collection belonging to the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Matisse's 60 years of artistic development are honoured in the first exhibition dedicated to him in Hungary.

On 6 July, the concert "On stage for Ukraine" with music from Eastern Europe will be held in Besançon. Throughout the summer, the Polish Institute in Vienna, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Embassy in Austria, is presenting the exhibition "Broken Dreams. War diary from the Ukrainian shelter" by the artist Hélène Litorelle. On 13 July at the Pump House Gallery Battersea Park, London, a charity evening is being organised to support Ukrainian children. In Poland, the National Institute of Music and Dance is implementing the project "New Voice: Ukraine - Let's make an opera together", offering artistic workshops for children and young war refugees. Until 31 October at the Misiones Salesianas Museum in Madrid, the photo exhibition "Life in a suitcase: stories of an armed conflict" bears witness to the consequences of war.

Until 31 July, the Musical Gardens festival in Warsaw offers classical music and jazz concerts in the Grand Court of the Royal Palace. It welcomes musicians from all over the world.

Until 23 July, the Aix-en-Provence International Festival of Lyrical Art offers performances of operas and concerts. This year, the theme of resurrection is in the spotlight and two operas will be created. The festival is also committed to sustainable development and has been emphasising the eco-design of its sets since 2014.

Until 4 September, the world's most beautiful voices are performing at the 99th season of the Verona Arena Opera Festival. The repertoire includes some of the great opera classics, including Bizet's famous Carmen and Verdi's Aida, accompanied by ballets and orchestral concerts.