According to the results of the early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria on 2 April, Boyko Borisov's GERB has 26.54% of the vote and Kiril Petkov's We Continue the Change has 24.61%. The far-right Revival party is expected to come third with 14.19%. In total, six parties surpassed the 4% threshold to be represented in Parliament. Far from clarifying the situation, these fifth elections in two years will probably not allow the formation of a solid government coalition and thus Bulgaria to emerge from the political crisis.

On 30 March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the National Council of the Republic of Austria. He thanked Austria for its humanitarian support to the Ukrainian people, for protecting the Ukrainian energy industry from Russian terrorist missile strikes and for supporting the de-mining of Ukrainian territory.

On 30 March, the Commission adopted the third annual work programme of the European Defence Fund (EDF), allocating €1.2 billion to defence research and development projects. The work programme also introduces new measures to promote innovation in the defence field under the European Innovation Programme (EUDIS).

On 30 March, MEPs adopted the regulation on the safety of non-food consumer products to tackle risks linked to new technologies and the growth of online sales, protect vulnerable consumers and speed up product recalls. The text now has to be adopted by the Council.

On 30 March, MEPs adopted new rules for EU companies to provide information to enable employees to better compare pay and highlight gender pay gaps. The Council must now adopt the proposed directive.

On 30 March, MEPs adopted a resolution on the Commission's 2022 report on the rule of law in the EU. They call on the Commission to extend the scope of its report to include the issue of fundamental rights, particularly in border management of migrants.

On 30 March, Council and Parliament negotiators reached a provisional agreement on the Renewables Directive to increase the share of renewables in the EU's overall energy consumption to 42.5% by 2030, with an indicative additional 2.5% to reach 45%. This agreement must now be formally adopted by the two co-legislators.

The Council and the Parliament reached an agreement on 28 March on the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Project (AFIR), to deploy a sufficient infrastructure network to refuel and recharge alternative fuel or electric vehicles and vessels. The agreement must now be approved by both institutions.

On 28 March, the Council adopted several texts of the Fit for 55 adjustment package to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030. It adopted the regulation setting stricter CO2 emission standards for new cars and vans, which provides for the end of combustion engines in new vehicles in 2035. It adopted the regulation on effort sharing by Member States, as well as the regulation on land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) and a decision amending the stability reserve of the emission allowance market.

On 28 March, the Energy Ministers adopted their negotiating position on two proposals that establish common rules for the internal market in terms of renewable gases, natural gases and hydrogen. They also reached agreement on a proposal to extend the voluntary 15% gas demand reduction target by one year, and held a debate on the review of the electricity market.

On 30 March, the Council formally adopted the regulation extending the voluntary 15% gas demand reduction target for Member States by one year, until 31 March 2024. The possibility for the Council to trigger a "Union alert" on security of supply is maintained. It makes the reduction of gas demand mandatory.

On 27 March, EU High Representative Josep Borrell published a collection of blog posts, opinion pieces and speeches entitled "The year the war came back to Europe. EU Foreign Policy in 2022'. In it he discusses the issues that have dominated EU foreign policy over the past year.

Following his election as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Humza Yousaf was formally elected Head of Government by the Scottish Parliament on 28 March. He was then sworn in before the Supreme Court and announced the appointment of his ministerial team on 29 March. The new government consists of 10 ministers 6 of whom are women, supported by 18 deputy ministers, 9 of whom are women.

On 30 March, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) called on European governments to put an end to pushbacks and to prevent the ill-treatment of foreign nationals at borders, particularly in detention centres.

According to Eurostat data published on 31 March, the unemployment rate in February 2023 was 6% in the European Union compared to 6.1% in January 2023; and 6.6% in the euro area compared to 6.1% in January 2023.

Until 20 August, the National Museum in Oslo is organising an exhibition devoted to Thorvald Hellesen, one of the pioneers of Cubism. This extensive retrospective of the artist's work includes some 70 exhibits, including paintings, gouaches, drawings, as well as sewing and interior decoration.

Until August 28, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris is devoting an exhibition to Jean-Michel Basquiat's collaboration with Andy Warhol. The exhibition brings together more than three hundred works and documents, including eighty paintings signed by both artists.

Until 23 July, the Palazzo Pallavicini in Bologna is hosting an exhibition dedicated to ancient Japanese monster prints. More than two hundred works from the 18th and 19th centuries are on display, including woodcuts by Hokusai, rare books and samurai armour.

Until 24 September, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow is devoting an exhibition to the Krakow Group. The public will be able to discover the work of this group of artists, who were at the origin and forefront of Polish contemporary art.

Until 16 July, the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin is hosting an exhibition devoted to Hugo van der Goes, the most important Dutch artist of the second half of the 15th century. 540 years after his death, the exhibition will for the first time bring together almost all of Hugo van der Goes' works.

The Victoria and Albert Museum in Dundee is hosting an exhibition celebrating the tartan until 24 January 2024. It explores the complex history of the textile and examines how it has influenced many artists, designers, architects and film makers to become one of the symbols of Scotland that is seen everywhere around the world.

The Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival is running until 16 April. For its tenth anniversary, it is offering concerts, conferences and master classes. Several meetings with some of the great names of the current scene are proposed.

The Easter Festival in Baden-Baden runs until 10 April. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is giving a series of concerts. This year's festival is devoted to Viennese composers from the turn of the 20th century.

The Salzburg Easter Festival will be held until 10 April. Numerous cultural and artistic events are organised, including one on Richard Wagner.