The Grand Prix Franco-Allemand des Médias 2022 was awarded on 6 July to the artist Anselm Kiefer and to Bénédicte Savoy. The special prize was awarded to Meduza, an independent news website on Russia based in Riga. The Franco-German Journalist Award (FGPA) was awarded to several journalists in the categories of Documentary, Investigative, News and Young Talent. The Foundation, partner of the award, organised, together with the Genshagen Foundation, an expert forum on the role of art and culture in times of conflict and war.

In response to the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Union has set up a €672.5 billion recovery fund, known as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, for Member States in the form of grants and loans. The Netherlands submitted its plan for assessment on 8 July. The Foundation provides you with an interactive map of the plans country by country, showing amounts, timetables and priorities.

On 7 July, the Parliament and the Council approved a simplified procedure allowing Ukrainian refugees to keep their driving licences in the EU without having to exchange them for an EU licence. To be able to continue working, bus and truck drivers will be able to have their Ukrainian certificates of professional competence recognised, after undergoing training and passing a test. The measure still needs to be formally adopted by an emergency procedure.

Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin travelled to Kyiv on 6 July to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and assured him of Ireland's support in the EU accession process. He also visited Borodianka, Irpin, Bucha, where Russian soldiers committed war crimes. On 9 July, the President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher met with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv and addressed the Parliament (Rada), expressing the wish that Ukraine should "without delay be able to defend itself on equal terms with its aggressor".

On 4 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke in Kyiv alongside Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Sweden, he expressed his gratitude for Sweden's assistance since the beginning of the conflict. On 7 July, speaking in the Slovenian Parliament, he highlighted the new European export routes through Ukraine and the country's potential to become a player in the digital transition after the reconstruction efforts.

On 7 July, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ihor Zhovkva, met with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, to discuss the situation of Ukrainian refugees. On 8 July, the World Health Organisation launched an urgent appeal to allow access to the sick and wounded caught up in the war in Ukraine. The organisation is concerned about the hundreds of landmine victims, premature births and the health of pregnant women and the elderly. The WHO's head of the Ukraine conflict, Dorit Nitzan, recalled the importance of humanitarian corridors in armed conflicts.

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on 5 July. The two leaders discussed the war in Ukraine, and the consequences of the conflict on an international scale, in particular in terms of food and energy security. They called for the respect of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In a resolution adopted on 5 July, MEPs gave a favourable opinion to Croatia's entry into the euro area as of 1 January 2023. However, they expect "sustained efforts by the Croatian government" to ensure further price convergence. The Parliament's opinion is being forwarded to the eurozone Member States, which must now give Croatia the final green light.

In a debate with MEPs on 5 July, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for the enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans and for greater integration, especially in the fields of energy and defence. He also called for coordinated action to "curb soaring energy prices" and for greater solidarity in managing migration.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala presented the programme of the Czech Presidency of the Council to MEPs on 6 July, with the priority being to reach agreement on measures to mitigate the negative effects of the crises. The Czech Presidency will focus on the reconstruction of Ukraine and the preparation of the REPowerEU plan to free Europe from its energy dependence on Russia. It intends to improve Member States' defence capabilities, shorten supply chains, strengthen free trade, ensure food security and strengthen the resilience of democratic institutions.

On 6 July, MEPs gave the green light to the payment of financial aid to the EU's fisheries and aquaculture sectors in response to the consequences of the war in Ukraine. Member States will be able to use the remaining resources available under the European Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Fund for the period 2014-2020. The measure still has to be adopted by the Council.

On 7 July MEPs adopted a proposal to increase the share of sustainable fuels in aviation. They want suppliers to make sustainable fuels available from 2025 and to reach 85% in all EU airports by 2050. Hydrogen and renewable electricity could be included in the energy mix. MEPs propose the creation of a sustainable aviation fund from 2023 to 2050 to accelerate decarbonisation in the aviation sector.

On 6 July, MEPs rejected a resolution opposing the Commission's proposal to include gas and nuclear power in the list of environmentally sustainable economic activities included in the EU's taxonomy. If the Council does not veto, the delegated act on the taxonomy, which includes a time limit on the inclusion of nuclear and gas activities, will enter into force on 1 January 2023.

On 7 July, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture published its report on prisons in the UK. It expresses concern about overcrowding in the country's prisons and persistent violence among inmates and against staff. The Committee stresses the need to strengthen legal safeguards for psychiatric patients. The CPT notes that the confinement of prisoners has led to a temporary reduction in overcrowding and has lowered the level of violence, but the structural causes of both phenomena remain to be determined.

In its judgment of 11 July, the European Court of Human Rights confirmed the Committee of Ministers' position that, by failing to secure the release of Osman Kavala after the Court's first judgment in this case, Turkey has failed to comply with its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. It calls for the immediate release of Mr Kavala. Turkey is invited to execute the judgment. This matter will remain under the supervision of the Committee of Ministers until then.

The consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine are having a real impact on world commodity markets and pose a major threat to global food security, according to the Commission's latest short-term outlook report on EU agricultural markets published on 7 July. However, the report assures that food availability in Europe is not threatened.

According to the second biannual report on the NextGenerationEU recovery plan, published by the Commission on 8 July, the EU has raised €121 billion since June 2021, of which €50 billion was raised between January and June 2022. The Commission has distributed €100.4 billion to 21 Member States, including €67 billion in grants and €33.4 billion in loans.

The Commission's Research and Innovation Performance Report published on 5 July shows that the EU accounts for around 18% of R&D investment worldwide and 21% of the most cited scientific publications internationally. The EU leads the world in climate-related patent applications (23% of applications) and plays an important role in the bioeconomy (23%) and health (17%). However, R&D investment in the automotive (-7.2%) and aerospace (-22.6%) sectors declined during the pandemic.

From 14 to 17 July, the Vieilles Charrues festival celebrates its 30th anniversary. The festival welcomes to Brittany a quality programme, mainly from the French contemporary scene. Rock and pop bands as well as rappers and DJs are present to offer a mix to suit all tastes.

Until 29 July, the Klassik am Dom festival offers classical music and jazz concerts in front of Linz Cathedral. The concerts bring together musicians from all over the world at the foot of the largest church in Austria.

The 26th edition of the Super Bock Super Rock festival is taking place from 13 to 16 July near Lisbon. Although the programme focuses on rock, other musical genres are also represented with young talents from pop, hip-hop, electro and alternative music.

From 13 to 17 July, the Electric Castle festival is being held to the backdrop of Romania's Banffy Castle in Bonțida. More than 300 artists, including the Twenty-One Pilots, Gorillaz and Disclosure, will perform at the festival, which was created with the idea of enhancing the heritage of small Romanian towns.

From 13 to 16 July, the Colours of Ostrava festival in the Czech Republic will be held in a former industrial site offering a diverse programme of jazz, pop and rock concerts, as well as lectures and workshops.

Until 24 July, the historic city of Almagro is hosting the 45th edition of the International Classical Theatre Festival, offering plays, dance performances, exhibitions and workshops in the performing and visual arts.

Until 9 October, the National Museum in Warsaw is hosting an exhibition on the Polish painter, photographer and philosopher Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz. The artist's work, consisting of paintings, photographs and drawings, shows a closeness to the avant-garde movement and painters such as Kandinsky and Ernst

From 14 to 16 July, the Faroe Islands are hosting the G! music festival, featuring artists from all over the world, on the islands' beaches. Local musicians are given the opportunity to develop their talents on the international scene.

Cultural activities in support of Ukraine are continuing this summer. From July onwards, the Körber Foundation in Hamburg will donate 10,000 books by Ukrainian authors to refugee families in northern Germany, so that they can maintain a link with their culture. Until 27 July, as part of the "Untold Ukraine" project, a series of cultural events in support of Ukraine is being organised in Dublin. The Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris is demonstrating its support for Ukraine by including two photographs from the "Case History" series by Ukrainian photographer Boris Mikhailov in its permanent collection. In Warsaw, the facade of the Royal Castle is illuminated in the national colours of Ukraine and Poland every day from 6pm to 2am.

The Carcassonne Festival will run until 27 August. It combines pop and classical music, dance and theatre. Festival-goers will be able to see Calogero, Julien Doré, Deep Purple, as well as La Traviata and Renaud Capuçon.

Until 17 July, the Summer Capital, Baden-Baden's classical music festival, is underway. Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the "old world" orchestra will perform works by Johannes Brahms, Clara Schumann and the French composer Louise Farrenc on the theme of romanticism.

Until 4 September, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is presenting an exhibition of 70 pieces of Japanese lacquerware from the 19th and 20th centuries in collaboration with the Museum of German Lacquer Art in Münster. At the same time, the museum is presenting an exhibition of photographs by Antoon Bauduin, a Dutch amateur photographer, offering a glimpse of Japan in the second half of the 19th century, as the country began to open its borders.

For the 53rd edition of the Rencontres d'Arles, until 25 September, the public is invited to discover some forty exhibitions. Often produced in collaboration with French and foreign museums and institutions, they are on display in different places in the city.