The Tsinandali festival will be back for its 6th edition, from 31 August to 8 September. The festival will feature a range of concerts, from solo performances to orchestral pieces, in the amphitheatre of the historic royal residence of Tsinandali in Georgia.

The exhibition "Carnations and Velvet", art and revolution in Portugal and the Czech Republic (1968 - 1974 - 1989) is on at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) in Lisbon until October 27. It highlights the Prague Spring, the Marcelist Spring, the Carnation Revolution and the Velvet Revolution.

The Haapsalu Early Music Festival takes place from 25 to 28 July in the Estonian seaside resort. Music lovers can attend a wide range of eclectic concerts, including recitals and oratorical works. Held in front of two medieval churches, the festival has a particularly intimate atmosphere.

The exhibition "Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent" will run until 19 January 2025 at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. It presents a comprehensive overview of the artist's career spanning five decades, including his photomontages that challenge social norms and political injustices. His work critically addresses issues such as war, environmental degradation and social inequality.

On 19 July, the European Union and Serbia signed a memorandum of understanding for a partnership to exploit lithium, an essential material for the green transition, reducing Europe's dependence on Chinese producers. Serbia's lithium deposits have the potential to supply 17% of Europe's production of electric vehicles.

On 22 July, the foreign ministers renewed economic sanctions against Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine for a six-month period until 31 January 2025. They decided to support the Armenian armed forces with €10 million under the European Peace Facility.

On July 18, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank decided to leave the ECB's three key interest rates unchanged at 4.25%, 4.50% and 3.75% respectively. It leaves the door "wide open" for September, but everything will depend on the evolution of economic data.

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. On 15 July, the Commission approved a positive preliminary assessment of the first payment request of €1.3 billion to the Netherlands. On 19 July, the Commission paid the fifth payment claim of €822 million to Croatia. The Foundation offers you an interactive map of the plans country by country, to check out the amounts and timeframes.

Of the MEPs who took office on 16 July, 38.6% are women. These are the figures compiled by the Foundation in its summary tables ranking the Member States of the European Union according to female representation in political bodies. The three tables examine parity within governments, national parliaments and the European Parliament.

Yaël Braun-Pivet, MP for Yvelines, from the "Ensemble pour la République" party, was re-elected President of the National Assembly on 18 July by a relative majority following the third ballot. On 19 July, the members of the Bureau (6 vice-presidents, 3 quaestors and 12 secretaries) were elected. On 20 July, the chairmen of the 8 parliamentary committees were appointed.

Despite the considerable political stability in the Union following the European elections, "it seems that lessons will be learned from the previous mandate", notes Jean-Dominique Giuliani. He notes that "the emphasis is on the economy, its competitiveness, the completion of the single capital market, (...) a new and necessary mobilisation to close the gap with the major global competitors".

On July 17, MEPs approved the proposal for the number of members of the Parliament's 20 committees and 4 sub-committees. On July 19, the allocation of MEPs by political group to each committee was announced. Committee members will meet on July 23 to elect their chairmen and vice-chairmen.

Paris is hosting the Olympic Games for the 3rd time, opening on 26 July. Until 11 August, 10,500 athletes from all over the world are expected to take part. Some events start on 24 July, with competitions taking place at other venues in France. 45 disciplines are represented and 329 events will be contested. The Paralympic Games are held from 28 August to 8 September.

On July 18, the fourth summit of the European Political Community was held in the UK, bringing together 46 European leaders. The host, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, stressed the need for European support for Ukraine and the fight against Russian interference to protect the values of freedom and democracy. He stressed the importance of European cooperation in tackling the challenges of security and illegal migration. In this respect, he announced a stronger British presence at Europol and an £84 million investment in projects in Africa and the Middle East to tackle the root causes of migration.

On July 18, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron met at Blenheim Palace to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation to ensure regional stability, promote economic growth, guarantee energy security, and combat climate change, illegal migration and organized crime. They also renewed their support for Ukraine and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.