Direction-Social Democracy (SMER-SD), led by former prime minister Robert Fico, came out ahead in the general elections held on 30 September, with 22.94% of the vote and 42 of the 150 seats in parliament. It edged out Progressive Slovakia (PS), the social-liberal and pro-European party led by Michal Simecka (17.96% with 32 seats), and 5 other parties. Political analysts agree that it is highly likely that a coalition will emerge comprising the SMER-SD parties, the Hlas party of former prime minister Peter Pellegrini, and the nationalist and populist National Party (SNS).

Europe has changed... This is the message of the "Schuman Report on Europe, the State of the Union 2023", which analyses the profound changes that have taken place in Europe, accelerated by the shock of the war in Ukraine. This 17th edition, published by Marie B., includes 19 contributions from high-level personalities, including Christophe Lucas. The book includes 30 original maps and a full set of commented statistics. The book is available in French and in English in digital format. You can order it here.

On 1 October, the Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism (BCAM) came into force on a transitional basis. This mechanism requires companies to purchase certificates to offset greenhouse gas emissions from the production of products imported into the European Union. The transitional phase will last until 2026. The products concerned are cement, iron, steel, aluminium, fertiliser, electricity and hydrogen, and no financial adjustments will be necessary during this phase.

On 25 September, the Industry ministers reached agreement on two pieces of legislation relating to intellectual property, improving the protection of industrial designs in the light of developments in 3D printing. An agreement was reached on the Euro 7 regulation on internal combustion engine emissions. The ministers wish to increase the maximum emission thresholds proposed by the Commission.

The ministers of culture meeting on 25 and 26 September signed the Caceres Declaration, committing to working towards making culture a global public good at the highest political level, and a pillar of European integration in the future. They discussed the sustainable management of cultural heritage and the need to develop public cultural policies at European level.

On 26 September, the Council and Parliament reached an agreement on the revision of the system of fees payable to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for processing marketing authorisation applications for medicinal products. The two institutions must now definitively adopt the agreement.

On 28 September, the Home Affairs ministers made headway in the implementation of the Pact on Asylum and Migration, bringing the States closer to a consensus in the Council on the settlement of crises and force majeure. The ministers signed a joint declaration with the Latin American Committee on Internal Security, and adopted a decision on the participation of Switzerland, Norway and Iceland in the integrated border management fund.

On 28 and 29 September, the European Affairs ministers, meeting in Murcia, discussed the implications of a possible enlargement of the European Union and the relevant institutional reforms. They exchanged views on the issue of open strategic autonomy in areas such as food, health, energy and digital technology. The ministers discussed the future of cohesion policy in the next multiannual financial framework.

On 25 September, the Executive Vice President of the Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, met the Chinese Vice Prime Minister He Lifeng as part of the 1st EU-China Economic Dialogue. He called for better access to the Chinese market and fair economic competition, so that the two economies can offer each other the same level of openness and transparency.

On 26 September, the French Court of Auditors published a report on wine policy and its impact on the sector's competitiveness and the environment. The Court recommends that the Commission focus funding for the sector on the competitiveness of farms and raise the environmental ambitions of wine policy.

Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland reached an agreement on 27 September to step up the fight against illegal migration. Targeted checks by the police forces of the three countries are set to increase, particularly on migrant smuggling routes.

On 29 September, the majority of the Congress of Deputies rejected the appointment of the leader of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Nunez Feijoo, as President of the Government. Having come out ahead in the parliamentary elections in July, he won the support of 172 deputies compared to 177 votes against. The President of the outgoing government and leader of the Socialist Party (PSOE), Pedro Sanchez, is expected to take his turn in trying to form a government.

Energy and industry ministers from 21 countries, including 15 European countries, and some thirty nuclear industry leaders met in Paris on 28 and 29 September to discuss international collaboration on nuclear energy as a way of tackling the climate crisis and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. They stressed the need to regulate nuclear deployment and support research and development. They called on international financial institutions and development banks to finance nuclear energy.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna travelled to Helsinki and Riga on 28 and 29 September. In Helsinki, she met her Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, to prepare her visit to France on 4 October. In Riga, she held talks with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics and Prime Minister Evika Silina on maintaining sanctions against Russia, enlargement and security issues.

On 28 and 29 September, the Speakers of the Parliaments of the Member States of the Council of Europe met in Dublin. They discussed the role of national parliaments in the reconstruction of Ukraine, representative democracy in times of instability, and diversity in public representation.

French President Emmanuel Macron met Italian Prime Minister Gioriga Meloni in Rome on 26 September, on the sidelines of the funeral of former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. The two leaders discussed the management of the migration situation and Europe's economic priorities. The day before, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna received her Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, with whom she discussed migration.

On 29 September, the leaders of the European Union's nine Mediterranean countries, together with the Presidents of the European Council and the Commission, met in Malta for an EU-Med 9 summit, calling for a "united" and "structural" response to the migration crisis.

On 1 October, the Polish opposition rallied a million people in Warsaw in a demonstration against the government's policies and attacks on the rule of law. Donald Tusk, former Prime Minister, former President of the European Council and leader of the Civic Platform, called on Poles to vote for the opposition in the parliamentary elections on 15 October.

On 28 September, the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh announced its dissolution on 1 January 2024, a week after Azerbaijan's offensive and occupation of the territory. According to the Armenian authorities, more than 100,000 of the 120,000 inhabitants of the enclave have already fled. The European Union has announced €5 million in humanitarian aid.

On 29 September, the European Commission announced that it had signed an agreement with Moldova to allow the country to join the European Civil Protection Mechanism. This mechanism enables the 27 EU Member States and 10 other signatory states to offer assistance when one of the states is hit by a disaster. Moldova has already benefited from the help of this mechanism to manage the arrival of Ukrainian migrants at the beginning of 2022. The agreement applies provisionally and will come into force definitively on 1 January 2024.

On 26 September, the Council of Europe's Lanzarote Committee adopted a declaration deploring Russia's failure to respond appropriately and urging it to cooperate in accordance with its obligations as a Party to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, also known as the "Lanzarote Convention".

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was received in Kyiv by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and stated on 28 September that "Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever". EU High Representative Josep Borrell visited Odessa on 30 September and then Kyiv. He was joined on 2 October by the foreign affairs ministers for a meeting with their counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and President Volodymyr Zelensky, to reiterate the European Union's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.

On 28 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu in Kyiv as part of the first Defence Industries Forum organised in Ukraine since the start of the war. They discussed French aid to Ukraine, given the risk of the conflict becoming entrenched. On 25 September, the Minister visited Moldova where he met the Moldovan President, Maia Sandu, with whom he discussed the strengthening of defence capabilities.

On 28 September, the interior ministers agreed to extend the temporary protection granted to Ukrainians fleeing the war until March 2025. Since March 2022, these people have had access to rights on European territory, including the right of residence, access to the labour market and access to social assistance. The decision has yet to be formally adopted.

On 27 September, the Commission published its progress report on the digital decade, reviewing Europe's progress in the digital field in the light of the 2030 objectives. The report contains collective and national recommendations for accelerating the digital transition, in particular through investment in infrastructure, technology and skills development.

In September, annual inflation in the eurozone was down on the previous month, at 4.3%, according to the flash estimate published by Eurostat on 29 September.

Until 7 January 2024, the Musée des Impressionnismes in Giverny is presenting an interdisciplinary exhibition on the history of flowers entitled "Flower Power". Featuring works by major artists, the exhibition explores not only the aesthetic function of the floral motif, but also its political, religious and scientific role.

The Camp des Milles memorial site, a former deportation camp in Aix-en-Provence, is organising a concert-event on 5 October at 7.30pm. This musical tribute has been organised by the association Forum Voix Étouffées, whose aim is to promote and make heard the music of composers oppressed, banned and murdered by totalitarian regimes, in this case Nazism.

From 6 to 15 October, the Warsaw Film Festival brings together directors from the international scene, introducing audiences to independent films from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

Until 21 January 2024, works by the Dutch Baroque painter Frans Hals are on show at the National Gallery in London. Among the fifty or so works on show is "The Laughing Cavalier" (1624), from the Wallace Collection, on loan for the first time on an exceptional basis.

Until 10 March 2024, Munich's House of Art is presenting the exhibition "Inside Other Spaces. Environments by Women Artists 1956-1976", showcasing the work of eleven women artists spanning three generations, from Europe, Asia and America. The exhibition allows visitors to plunge into the heart of "experiments", immersive and unconventional works at the crossroads of art and design.

The Arte Mare film festival runs until 7 October in Bastia. Its programme is devoted to films about Mediterranean culture.

The Centre Botín in Santander is hosting a lively exhibition until 11 February 2024. The German-British visual artist Tino Sehgal confronts his work with the famous painting by El Greco, "The Adoration of the Shepherds". The exhibition, Picasso: the Sacred and the Profane, runs until 14 January 2024 at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. It highlights the painter's approach to pagan rites and the heritage of the sacramental through different Christian allegories.

The Basel Art Museum is presenting an exhibition entitled "Jasper Johns - an art collector" until 4 February 2024. A renowned painter, Jasper Johns also pursued a career as a collector, accumulating canvases by Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso and Willem de Kooning. The exhibition shows the great diversity and originality of the works collected by Johns.

On October 2, the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to Katalin Kariko of Hungary and Drew Weissman of the United States for their role in the development of mRNA vaccines, used in particular against Covid-19.