The French are being called to ballot on 11th and 18th June to renew the 577 members of the Assemblée national, the lower house of Parliament. After having elected Emmanuel Macron as head of State by a wide majority on 7th May will the French provide him with a majority? The most recent poll by OpinionWay undertaken between 16th and 18th May credits La République en Marche (LREM) with 27% of the vote, ahead of the Républicains (LR) and the Front National (FN), each due to win 20% of the vote, France Insoumise 14% and the Socialist Party (PS) 11%.

The Chairman of the Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani has published "For a few starts more ... which European policy for France?" An enlightening read whilst the appointments in the new government has illustrated the wish to foster resolutely European action.

MEPs debated on 17th May with Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council about the direction to take in the negotiations with the UK concluded by the European Council. He also met with French President Emmanuel Macron.

On 22nd May the Commission published its country per country recommendations as part of the "European Semester" of Spring 2017. The Member States should use the favourable economic situation offered by economic recovery to undertake structural reforms, stimulate investment and consolidate their public finances to achieve more inclusive, strong, sustainable growth.

MEPs suggested on 16th May to introduce measures that would reduce food waste by half by 2030, notably by lifting restrictions on food donations and clarifying consumer information.

The Council of the European Economic Area (EEA) gave its conclusions on 16th May. They focus on political cooperation and dialogue with the European institutions and their partners.

On 18th and 19th May the 28 European Foreign Affairs Ministers debated the EU's strategy in terms of security and defence, cooperation with NATO, then of development notably in Africa.

On 16th May the EU's Court of Justice delivered a decision establishing that the free-trade agreement with Singapore cannot be concluded by the Union alone but jointly with the Member States. Indeed some measures in the agreement are not part of the Union's exclusive competence, but those which are shared with the States.

Germany has to use its increasing tax revenues to invest in infrastructure projects that strengthen its growth potential and encourage employers to increase wages to support inflation in the euro zone declared the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 15th May.

Austrian political parties announced on 16th May that a snap election will take place on 15th October. On 14th May the ÖVP elected a new leader, Sebastian Kurz.

On 15th May the French President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on his first trip abroad; the aim was to re-iterate the driving role played by the Franco-German couple in Europe.

On 18th May the Greek Parliament adopted new measures worth nearly 5 billion €, that should enable the payment of a further tranche of international loans to the country. The main articles of the bill, which include further cuts in retirement pensions and tax increases, were approved by 153 MPs against 128.

On 17th May Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny announced that he would be resigning as had of his party, Fine Gael. He will remain Prime Minister until the election of his successor on 2nd June.

After meeting Russian President Putin on 17th May in Sochi, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni visited French President Macron on 21st May. The two men re-iterated their will to work together to revive Europe, notably promoting the idea of fiscal and banking union.

On 17th May Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka announced the replacement Andrej Babis at the Finance Ministry by Ivan Pilny, from the same party, ANO in order to bring tension within the government coalition to an end.

On 17th May after several months of stalemate Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov finally asked opposition leader Zoran Zaev, Social Democratic Union (SDSM) to form a new coalition government.

On 21st May 58.2% of the electorate approved a new bill on energy which aims to replace progressively nuclear power by renewable energies.

On 19th May the Council of Europe's Foreign Affairs Ministers met in Nicosia (Cyprus). The Convention of the Council of Europe on infringements targeting cultural goods had been opened for signature and signed by six countries.

On 17th May the UN's Secretary General Antonio Guterres addressed the European Parliament speaking of the rise in conflict in the world, Human Rights as well as globalisation and to recall that a "united Europe was an absolutely vital pillar of a strong, effective UN".

Inflation in the EU lay at 2% against 1.6% in April. In the euro zone it gathered pace to lie at 1.9%, coming close to the ECB goal said Eurostat on 17th May against 1.5% in March.

On 18th May the European Commission published its annual report on the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights which highlights the initiatives taken in 2016 by the EU to strengthen fundamental rights.

Until 27th May Aalborg in Denmark is hosting its carnaval. Fancy dress parades and outdoor concerts are on the programme. The theme this year entitled "The world is full of..." invites participants to interpret this phrase via their costumes.