By declaring mobilisation, annexing Ukrainian territories and threatening to use nuclear weapons, Putin is only strengthening European unity and Western solidarity. He must now be dissuaded from going further in his headlong rush, writes Jean-Dominique Giuliani.

New Unity, the party of outgoing Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, came out ahead in the 1 October parliamentary elections in Latvia, with 18.97% of the vote and 26 of the 100 seats in parliament. The parties of the outgoing government coalition (New Unity, National Alliance, and the Conservatives (K) together do not hold an absolute majority of seats and will have to find allies.

The Commission approved on 27 September a positive preliminary assessment for a second payment of €21 billion to Italy under the EU's NextGenerationEU programme set up to tackle the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The €672.5bn recovery fund, known as the 'Recovery and Resilience Facility', is designed to provide grants and loans to Member States. The plans of 26 countries have been approved, and 10 countries have received disbursements. The Foundation provides an interactive map of the plans country by country, including amounts, timelines and priorities.

Nearly 60,000 Russians entered the European Union in the week of 19-25 September, a 30% increase on the previous week, Frontex, the EU's border guard agency, announced on 27 September. This increase in cross-border crossings, mostly via Finland and Estonia, coincides with the announcement of partial mobilisation in Russia. Frontex estimates that the number of Russians seeking to enter the EU will increase further.

The new Baltic Pipe pipeline, which links Norway to Denmark and Poland to reduce dependence on Russian gas, was inaugurated on 27 September in Goleniow, Poland, and began delivering gas on 1 October. The project was funded by the European Union to the tune of €215 million.

On 28 September, the Commission presented recommendations to modernise and enhance the effectiveness of national minimum income schemes. It proposes guidelines on the coverage and operation of minimum income. It also calls on Member States to take specific measures to improve access to an inclusive labour market, support services and the promotion of individualised support.

On 26 September, the EU Agriculture Ministers and their Ukrainian counterpart Mykola Solskyi discussed the current state of agricultural production in Ukraine. To ensure the export and import of agricultural products to Ukraine, they discussed the implementation of solidarity channels between the European Union and Ukraine. The Ministers also discussed the management of fish stocks shared with the United Kingdom.

The President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, was heard on 25 September by the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee. In response to MEPs' concerns about the impact of rising food and energy prices on households, she assured them that the ECB will raise interest rates to restore price stability and that temporary and targeted measures by Member States will be adopted to avoid fragmentation within the euro area.

The European Court of Auditors warned on 26 September about the lack of effectiveness of European and national measures against illegal fishing. In a report, it notes that control and sanction systems, in particular those relating to the verification of imported fishery products, appear to be "unequal" among Member States. These shortcomings lead to overfishing and underreporting of catches. In this context, the Court invited the Commission to oversee the tightening of national controls.

The last poll before the 9 October presidential election in Austria, carried out by the Kurier/OGm institute, puts the incumbent president Alexander Van der Bellen well ahead with 58% of the vote, followed by the nationalist candidate of the Freedom Party (FPÖ), Walter Rosenkranz, who would secure 16%. Lawyer and columnist Tassilo Wallentin (9%) and Dominik Wlazny, chairman of the Beer Party (8%), follow in third and fourth place.

The second round of the Czech Senate elections took place on 1 October. Despite its success in the first round, the opposition movement ANO won only 3 seats, while the government coalition SPOLU won 20. The group of ODS and TOP 09 senators remains the largest in the Senate and will therefore be able to appoint the President of the Upper House.

On 2 October, Bosnia and Herzegovina voted to renew the country's tripartite presidency, as well as the governments of the two entities that make up the country, the Republika Srspka (Serb and Orthodox) and the Muslim-Croat Federation (Bosniak and Croat). In the Serb Republic, Milorad Dodik was re-elected for a third term. Zeljka Cvijanovic is expected to take the Serbian seat in the country's tripartite presidency, while the Bosnian seat goes to pro-European social democrat Denis Becirovic, who defeated Bakir Izetbegovic. Zeljko Komsic wins his fourth term as president for the Croatian side. The High Representative, Christian Schmidt, announced institutional reforms that "aim to improve functionality and ensure the prompt implementation of the election result".

The Bank of England announced on 28 September a temporary £65 billion bond-buying programme to stem the fall in the pound and the rise in interest rates caused by the previous week's announcement of a tax cut and household support plan by Liz Truss' government. On 3 October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer decided to abandon the tax cut for high earners.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have had a major impact on the socio-economic situation of national minorities, according to a report by the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities published on 27 September. The report also points out that climate change and certain environmental policies have contributed to increased inequalities.

The International Monetary Fund announced on 30 September the opening of an emergency financing window that will provide additional assistance to countries facing food insecurity risks. The facility, which is open for one year, comes in the context of rising food insecurity since 2018, aggravated by the war in Ukraine and its impact on imports and exports.

The OECD released on 26 September its interim report on the economic outlook for its members in the face of the effects of the war in Ukraine. The slowdown in global growth is stronger than expected, with growth holding steady in the second half of 2022 and decelerating in 2023 to an annual rate of 2.2%, down from 2.8%. Inflation is now affecting all sectors, spreading beyond food and energy, mainly due to soaring energy, transport and labour prices. The OECD calls for a reduction in energy consumption and diversification of supply sources to avoid shortages.

According to an estimate published on 30 September by Eurostat, the unemployment rate in the European Union stood at 6% and in the euro zone at 6.6% in August, while the unemployment rate in the EU stood at 6.4%.

The Weltmuseum in Vienna is presenting the first exhibition in Austria dedicated to the Maori artist George Nuku, entitled "Oceans. Collections. Reflections". Until 31 January 2023, the museum is hosting works on themes focusing on relationships and change. An installation on the Covid-19 pandemic has also been created.