For Europe, support for Ukraine means defending the front. The behaviour of the aggressor, who has used force to make his point of view prevail, must be banished from Europe, which is still so fragile because of the historical resentment that has been sown there, writes Jean-Dominique Giuliani.

Nikos Christodoulides (independent, centre) was elected President of the Republic of Cyprus on 12 February in the second round of the presidential elections in Cyprus, with 51.97% of the votes cast. Andreas Mavroyiannis (independent, left), obtained 48.03%. The turnout was 72.45%.

In response to the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Union has introduced a €672.5 billion recovery fund. On 8 February, the Commission made a second payment of €1.8 billion to Portugal. The Commission also approved a positive preliminary assessment of payment requests from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Foundation provides an interactive map of the plans country by country, with figures and timetables.

At an extraordinary meeting of the European Council on 9 February, the heads of state and government received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who asked them to increase their military support. The leaders adopted conclusions on the war in Ukraine, the economy, migration, dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. They discussed the Commission's first proposals on a Green Deal industrial plan, presented in response to the US IRA, and the adaptation of state aid rules. They also agreed to develop a reinforced European action for the control of external borders.

On 8 February, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced during a visit to Kyiv that more than 178 Leopard 1A5 tanks would be sent to Ukraine. Twenty of these tanks from German industrial stocks and purchased by the Danish, Dutch and German governments should be delivered before the summer. Germany also plans to deliver new guided missiles, five Gepard anti-aircraft tanks and five Badger engineer tanks by the end of February. Finally, Ukraine should receive five Biber bridge-laying vehicles in March.

On 13 February, the Commission adopted two delegated acts defining European green hydrogen in which hydrogen produced from nuclear power is recognised. The new rules aim to ensure that low-carbon hydrogen only uses additional renewable electricity sources and they also introduce an exemption scheme.

On 8 February, the Parliament's Conference of Presidents approved the reform plan proposed by President Roberta Metsola to strengthen the integrity, independence and accountability of the institution. These measures include, among others, the compulsory registration in the transparency register for any event with the participation of interest representatives in the Parliament as well as the prohibition of friendship groups with third countries where official parliamentary interlocutors already exist and which could lead to confusion.

The EU and India set up a Trade and Technology Council on 6 February to strengthen their strategic engagement and coordinate their policies in this area. The ministerial meetings will build on the preparatory work of three working groups that will address connectivity, green technologies and resilient supply chains.

On 12 February the elections for the Berlin state parliament were held. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came out ahead with 28.2% of the vote, compared to 18.4% for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which recorded its worst result since the end of the Second World War. The Greens also got 18.4% and Die Linke (left) 12.2%.

The French and German Ministers for the Economy, Bruno Le Maire and Robert Habeck, visited Washington on 7 February to discuss the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on European industry. They defended the need to preserve fair competition and asked for more transparency regarding the payment of subsidies to the American industry.

The UK Supreme Court confirmed on 8 February the legality of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The decision follows a legal challenge by Northern Irish Unionist leaders. The Court acknowledged that the protocol conflicted with the Acts of Union, which state that the whole of the UK should be treated equally in trade terms, but added that it was the will of Parliament that any part of the Acts of Union that was incompatible with the protocol should be suspended and that the EU Withdrawal Agreement approved by UK lawmakers in December 2019 overrode this.

On 6 February, the Commission proposed to provide €100 million of macro-financial assistance to Northern Macedonia to help cover its financial needs in 2023 and 2024, to cope with the impact of the war in Ukraine and to address the energy crisis. The assistance would be provided in the form of loans disbursed in two tranches.

Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita resigned on 10 February, citing "a lack of support and confidence in the country". A new candidate for prime minister, Dorin Recean, was appointed the same day by Moldovan President Maia Sandu. He has 15 days from his nomination to obtain the confidence of the parliament.

On 8 February, the Council of Europe adopted a counter-terrorism strategy for 2023-2027 which, in addition to the suppression of terrorist manifestations, focuses on the roots and triggers. It aims to develop relevant standards, especially in the face of the increasing use of modern technologies for terrorist propaganda.

On 9 February, the European Court of Human Rights dismissed a challenge by the French television channel C8 to sanctions imposed by the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel. The Court found that the sanctions imposed on the channel were in accordance with the law and did not infringe its freedom of expression.

On 8 February, the IMF published its forecasts for the Maltese economy: economic growth should rise to 3.3% in 2023, while the public deficit should reach 5%. Structural reforms are suggested for the long term, notably in view of the ecological and energy transition.

On 8 February, the European External Action Service (EEAS) published its first report on disinformation threats, which analyses trends in foreign information manipulation and interference.

The Tarasconi Palace in Parma is hosting an exhibition devoted to Roy Lichtenstein until 18 June. More than 50 works are on display, exploring the various themes and genres worked on by the artist, such as comics, advertising and abstraction.