French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz renewed their agreement with powerful language, but without hiding the nuances and differences, on 22 January on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty. They thus offer Europeans more than perspectives, they offer real chances for the future, writes Jean-Dominique Giuliani.

In response to the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Union has established a €672.5 billion recovery fund. On 19 January, the Commission made a second payment of €3.6 billion to Greece and gave a positive assessment to Germany's revised plan. On 17 January, the Council adopted Luxembourg's revised plan. The Foundation offers you an interactive map of the plans country by country, to know the amounts, the timetables.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, met with the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson on 16 January in Stockholm to launch the Swedish Presidency of the Council. He announced that the discussions at the February European Council will focus on migration and the economy, in particular the issue of state aid rules, the flexibility of European funds, the creation of a sovereign wealth fund and solidarity between Member States. Financial support for Ukraine and its European integration will also be discussed.

On 17 January, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the broad lines of a European industrial plan that will be based on four pillars: the regulatory environment, financing, skills and trade. She announced that the Commission will propose a regulation for a net zero emission industry by 2030. Pending the creation of a European Sovereignty Fund, state aid rules will be temporarily adapted to stimulate investment.

On 16 January, Parliament President Roberta Metsola presented new measures that will form a first approach to strengthening "the integrity, independence and accountability of the Parliament". On 17 January, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson announced that the Commission would submit a law to criminalise all forms of corruption. On the same day, MEPs adopted an amendment to the rules of procedure on immunity procedures.

On 16 January, the Finance Ministers of the euro zone took stock of the changeover to the euro in Croatia on 1 January. They discussed the objectives of the digital euro project, the coordination of their budgetary policies, particularly with regard to energy support measures for households and businesses. They discussed the economic policy of the euro area for 2023 and economic governance. In addition, the IMF presented the interim results of its review of euro area policies, which will be completed by mid-2023.

On 18 January, the EU adopted a €1.7 billion budget for 2023 to meet the needs arising from humanitarian crises around the world. Some of the aid will go to the EU's south-eastern neighbours, notably to deal with the war in Ukraine, and the rest will be divided between several areas such as North Africa, the Middle East, East Africa, Asia and South America to help people displaced by conflict, insecurity and climate shocks.

Boris Pistorius, Lower Saxony's Minister of the Interior, was officially appointed on 19 January as head of the Federal Ministry of Defence, following the resignation of Christine Lambrecht on 16 January.

On 19 January, the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) published its report on measures to prevent corruption and promote integrity of public authorities and law enforcement agencies in Bulgaria. What emerges is the lack of an appropriate integrity framework applied to senior officials, as well as too little transparency regarding their remuneration and assets. Criminal justice in cases of corruption involving senior officials and the independence and oversight of the police need to be improved.

On 19 January, French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez signed the first Franco-Spanish friendship treaty in Barcelona. The text reasserts the link between the two countries, structures their relations and underlines their desire to cooperate on a European scale.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, their ministers and MPs from both countries celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty on 22 January in Paris. In a joint declaration issued after a Franco-German council of ministers, the two governments pledged to strengthen their ties "in all areas that underpin genuine European sovereignty". At a Franco-German Defence and Security Council, they decided to intensify their strategic armaments partnership.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) found on 19 January that Facebook's parent company Meta had breached the EU Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with its Whatsapp application, particularly with regard to transparency obligations. Meta has been fined €5.5 million, following a first penalty of €390 million imposed by the same authority earlier this year.

The Bank of Italy published on 20 January its first economic bulletin for the year 2023. It points out the slowdown in economic activity in the country during the last quarter of 2022. It raises its growth forecasts for 2023 to 0.6%, compared to 0.4% previously forecast.

Former general Petr Pavel is leading in voting intentions ahead of the second round of the Czech presidential election on 27-28 January, with 57.7% of the vote, compared to 42.4% for former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, according to a survey by the STEM agency. According to a survey conducted by Data Collect and Kantar CZ, 46% of respondents said they were "determined" to vote for Petr Pavel, against 29% for Andrej Babis.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for a commitment to multilateralism and the fight against inequality and climate change. On 18 January, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz repeated his targets for achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. In his speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for international mobilisation against Russia. Finally, the President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, confirmed the objective of reducing the level of inflation in 2023 and was reassuring about the prospects for economic growth in Europe.

Representatives of 15 NATO member states signed a memorandum in Paris on 18 January to establish the Alliance's Space Centre of Excellence, which will provide Allies with expertise and manpower in four pillars: conceptual development and experimentation, doctrine and standardisation, education and training, analysis and feedback. The centre, which will be based in Toulouse, is expected to reach full operational capability in 2025.

On 19 January, the European Commission, Member States and 26 partner countries launched a "Coalition of Trade Ministers for Climate", led by the European Union, Ecuador, Kenya and New Zealand, to support trade policies that help tackle the climate crisis. The aim is to identify good practices and provide policy guidance, in particular to help those countries most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.

On 18 January, the IMF published a report on the Spanish economy. Inflation has slowed the recovery of output, which is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024. Growth is expected to slow to 1.1% in 2023. The report highlights the resilience of the financial sector and praises the Spanish government for the positive results of the labour market reform.

According to figures published by Eurostat on 18 January, annual inflation in the euro area was 9.2% in December compared with 10.1% in November, and 10.4% in December compared with 11.1% in November in the EU. The lowest rate was recorded in Spain at 5.5% and the highest in Hungary at 25%.

From 25 January to 8 May, the Centre Pompidou in Paris is devoting an exhibition to Serge Gainsbourg. Manuscripts by the singer will be on display, as well as works from his library and previously unseen films to understand "the artist's writing and composition process".

On 17 January, the Commission disbursed a first tranche of €3 billion of the €18 billion macro-financial assistance to Ukraine for the year 2023. The aim is to help Ukraine maintain the functioning of public services, including hospitals and schools, as well as critical infrastructure.