In response to the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the EU has set up a €672.5 billion recovery fund, called the Recovery and Resilience Facility, for Member States in the form of grants and loans. 25 plans have so far been adopted by the Council, and Poland's plan was conditionally approved by the Commission on 1 June. 21 countries have received the planned pre-financing and 5 countries have received a first instalment after meeting a series of targets. The Commission has not yet approved Hungary's plan because of the infringement of the rule of law. The Foundation provides you with an interactive map of the plans country by country, to see the amounts, timetables and priorities.

The Foundation organised a seminar on the data economy in Brussels on 1 June, in partnership with Alphalex Consult and IDFRights. The event was inaugurated by the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, and the debates were chaired by the former journalist and MEP, Jean-Marie Cavada. The video of the seminar is available online.

The Foundation and the Providus Centre for Public Policy organised a debate in Riga on 2 June on the sense of belonging to Europe, the changing meaning of the term "European" and the geographical, historical and emotional borders of Europe. The conference, which was held in the framework of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, can be viewed online.

On 3 June, the Council adopted new sanctions against Russia. These include an embargo on Russian oil until the end of the year, with the temporary exception of oil transported by pipeline, and the exclusion of three Russian banks from the SWIFT system, including Sberbank, Russia's largest bank. Three additional Russian television stations are banned. The list of Russian and Belarusian persons and entities affected by the sanctions is extended. Finally, the sanctions prohibit the provision of accounting, public relations and consultancy services to Russia, as well as cloud computing services.

On the 100th day of the war in Ukraine, the UN said on 3 June that the war has meant "100 days of suffering, devastation and destruction on a massive scale". UNICEF announced on 1 June that after 100 days of war in Ukraine, 5.2 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance. It warns that there is a risk of a child protection crisis caused by the conflict, and continues to call for a ceasefire while trying to ensure food, health and psychological support for children affected by the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the European Council, the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies and the GLOBSEC International Security Forum. He urged European leaders to increase sanctions against Russia, and asked Luxembourg MPs to support Ukraine's application to join the European Union.

On 1 June, the Commission published an annual review of fisheries management showing that EU fisheries policy has been successful in reducing overfishing. Nevertheless, in the Mediterranean Sea, fishing intensity exceeds sustainable levels. The Commission recommends maintaining high standards with Norway, the UK and coastal states. It also set out its priorities for 2023 to improve fisheries management in the Mediterranean and to take action to protect marine ecosystems.

On 2 June, Transport Ministers adopted three proposals from the " Fit for 55 " package aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector by 90%. They adopted the Maritime FuelEU initiative, to encourage the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport; and the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative, which aims to increase the demand and supply of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).

Meeting on 3 June, the trade ministers discussed the organisation of the next World Trade Organisation ministerial conference, which is being held in Geneva from 12 to 15 June, and supported the reform of the WTO proposed by the Commission. They expressed their wish to develop a transatlantic agenda in line with the "current positive momentum" in EU-US relations. Finally, they took stock of the relationship with China since the 1 April summit.

On 3 June, the ministers responsible for telecommunications took stock of the discussions concerning the draft laws on artificial intelligence, data and the European framework for a European digital identity. They held a policy debate on the digital and green transition, in particular on methodologies for measuring the environmental footprint of digital technology.

Negotiators from the Council and the Parliament reached agreement on 7 June on the draft directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union. Minimum wages will be defined according to clear common criteria and will have to be updated at least every two years, involving the social partners. Action plans to promote collective bargaining will have to be implemented where collective bargaining coverage is below 80%. The agreement must now be formally approved by the Council and the Parliament.

The European Court of Auditors notes in a report published on 1 June that the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) contributed to improving the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the period 2014-2020. The auditors recommend improving the design of tenders addressed to SMEs, reviewing the selection procedures for awarding grants under the FEDER, as well as prioritising the use of repayable grants.

The first round of the French legislative elections was held on 5 June in French Polynesia and in the 11 constituencies of French citizens abroad. The turnout of French citizens abroad was 22.51%. In 10 constituencies, the second round will pit a candidate from Ensemble!, the coalition supporting President Emmanuel Macron, against a candidate from the New Popular Ecological and Social Union, which groups left-wing parties. The first round will be held on 12 June in metropolitan and overseas France, and the second round on 19 June.

At its Congress held in Rotterdam on 31 May and 1 June, the European People's Party (EPP) elected Manfred Weber of Germany as its new President by 447 votes out of 502. President of the EPP group in the European Parliament, he succeeds Donald Tusk of Poland. The new Secretary General of the party is the Greek Thanasis Bakolas.

The unemployment rate in the European Union remained stable in April compared to March, at 6.2%, according to data published by Eurostat on 1 June. In the euro area, it stood at 6.8% in April, the same level as in March.

From 8 June to 1 July, Riga will be hosting its annual opera festival, which includes ballet performances for the first time. Verdi, Tchaikovsky and Mozart are on the programme.

Until 26 June, the Chemnitz Art Collections are presenting masterpieces by the most important names of the German Expressionist avant-garde. Kandinsky, Kirchner, Klee, Marc, Nolde and Schmidt-Rottluff are exhibited side by side to create a dialogue between the two famous groups of artists "Die Brücke" (1905) and "Blauer Reiter" (1912).

From 10 to 12 June, Rotterdam will be hosting the 52nd edition of its international poetry festival. Writers from all over the world come together to share their work and perform historical poems in a variety of events. The festival will also present its archive of 10,000 works in over 90 languages.

The Centre Pompidou in Paris is presenting an exhibition on the German art movement of the inter-war period, the "New Objectivity", until 5 September. Combining architecture, painting, design, cinema, theatre, literature and music, the exhibition is built around the main figure of this movement, the photographer August Sander.

The 25th edition of the international photography and visual arts festival "PhotoEspana" is being held in Madrid until 28 August. With 120 exhibitions in the city's main museums, exhibition halls and art galleries, the festival explores documentary photography, the visibility of women photographers and classic and contemporary Spanish creators.

The Łódź International Photography Festival is being held from 9 to 26 June with the idea of "community" as its theme. Among the 40 exhibitions and numerous events planned, the exhibition "The Thin Line" presents the works of Ukrainian artists, who intend to show, through juxtapositions of photographs of pre-war Ukraine with images of the conflict, how quickly everything can change in a life.

From 8 June to 21 July, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels is presenting a selection of 80 self-portraits by the American photographer Vivian Maier, a mid-twentieth century artist whose work was largely discovered only in 2007.

The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga is presenting until 25 September the exhibition "Model Clothes. Modes arhetipi", in partnership with the MUCEM in Marseille, as part of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The exhibition looks at fashion as a social anthropological phenomenon and traces the history of five garments through the centuries, namely the tank top, canvas shoes, overalls, jogging suits and the Scottish kilt.

Across Europe, the world of culture continues to show solidarity with Ukraine. Until August, the city of Hamburg is organising meetings to introduce young Ukrainian artists through film screenings and concerts. On 4 and 5 June in Poland, the Szczecin Philharmonic is hosting a twelve-hour concert on the repertoire of Bach. On 11 June in Dublin, the National Children's Creativity Day will include a music workshop for Ukrainian families in Dublin. On 12 June, a concert in support of Ukraine will take place at the Théâtre de Verdure in Nice, featuring Ukrainian groups. The Spanish artistic residency network TEJA, created in May to welcome Ukrainian artists fleeing the armed conflict, launched a digital art auction on 29 May to finance their actions.