On 1 March, the Commission proposed new rules on road safety and driving licences with the aim of better preparing road users and simplifying the recognition of driving licences in the Member States through a digital licence. The new rules also propose more effective enforcement of safety-related traffic rules in a cross-border context and the introduction of an EU-wide driving ban.

On 27-28 February, the EU's energy and transport ministers met in Stockholm to discuss the European energy market, future energy policy for industrial competitiveness and preparations for the implementation of the Fit for 55 climate package. On the initiative of France, 11 Member States called for increased European cooperation on nuclear energy. They underline that it is one of the many tools to achieve our climate goals, to produce baseload electricity and to ensure security of supply.

On 2 March, the Industry Ministers agreed on the Directive on distance contracts for financial services and on the Regulation on the collection and sharing of data on short-term rental accommodation services. They discussed the long-term competitiveness of the single market.

On 27 February, the Commission and the UK government reached an agreement, known as the Windsor Framework, to maintain access to the single market for Northern Ireland. The same food and medicines that are available in the UK will also be available in Northern Ireland, including a distinction between products that are at risk of entering the EU single market and those that are only intended for Northern Ireland. To implement the agreement, the Commission has submitted legislative proposals to the Council and Parliament in the areas of sanitary and phytosanitary standards, medicines and tariff quotas.

On 27 February in Brussels, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti accepted a draft agreement on normalisation of relations between their two countries, proposed by the EU. The text provides for Belgrade to respect Kosovo's territorial integrity, recognise its identity papers and no longer block its membership of international organisations. In return, Pristina should grant greater autonomy to Kosovo's town halls, whose population is predominantly Serbian. The details of implementation remain to be negotiated.

On 27 February, the Council extended the sanctions against Belarus by one year, until 28 February 2024. These include a travel ban to the EU for 195 individuals and an asset freeze on the same individuals as well as 34 entities responsible for repression and human rights violations in Belarus, and in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine. The Belarusian regime is cracking down on opponents such as Nobel Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, who was sentenced to several years in prison on 3 March.

The French and Italian ministers for the economy, Bruno Le Maire and Adolfo Urso, called in a joint declaration on 3 March for a European industrial policy to support the green and digital transitions, competitiveness and strategic autonomy. They supported an adjustment of state aid to support industrial sectors, as well as a European sovereignty fund to support strategic industrial sectors.

According to a Eurostat estimate published on 2 March, annual inflation in the euro area rose to 8.5% in February 2023, compared to 8.6% in January. Energy prices had a lower annual inflation rate (13.7% compared to 18.9% in January), while food, alcohol and tobacco prices rose by 15% compared to 14.1% in January.

On 8 March, on the occasion of International Women's Rights Day, several exhibitions are taking place in Europe. In Paris, an exhibition on the railings of the Madeleine church is dedicated to Louise Weiss. On the same day, the Museum of the Lubusz Region in Zielona Gora opened an exhibition entitled "Beauty is a Woman". In Bonn, the Women's Museum presents the exhibition "Women's Movements: 1865, 1971, 2017". In London, the WOW Festival is being held from 10 to 12 March. In Spain and Ireland, several exhibitions are dedicated to women artists.

Cultural solidarity with Ukraine continues in Europe, with many cultural events organised in support of the country. In France, concerts are being organised in Epinal on 14 March and in Concarneau on 19 March. In the UK, a concert entitled "Song for Ukraine" will be held on 16 March at the Royal Opera House in London. In Germany, a concert will take place in Bad Honnef on 25 March. In Spain, a concert will also take place on 11 March in Madrid to support Ukrainian refugees.

Until 25 June, Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo is hosting an exhibition devoted to Renoir and his exploration of the neo-Renaissance style. While the painter is known as one of the most important figures of Impressionism, this exhibition aims to shed light on a little-known moment of his artistic career.

Until 27 August, the Kunsthalle in Munich is hosting an exhibition devoted to the cultural history of flowers from antiquity to the present day. Whether in mythology, religion, art or politics, flowers have always had great symbolic power. Nearly one hundred and seventy works and specially designed installations show how they have evolved from coveted status symbols to a mass-marketed product worldwide.

The Vistula Museum in Warsaw is hosting an exhibition dedicated to Anka Ptaszkowska until 23 April. The exhibition is built around the script of an autobiographical film in 32 chapters, made by the artist in 2016, and aims to shed light on the official and private dimensions of her story.

Until 30 July, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is devoting an exhibition to the ancient city of Knossos. Discovered more than a century ago, Knossos was the heart of the Minoan civilisation that developed on Crete from 2700 BC to 1200 BC. This is the first British exhibition devoted entirely to the city, bringing together more than 100 objects that had not previously left Greece.

The Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris is devoting an exhibition to Matisse and his artistic production in the 1930s until 29 May. The exhibition proposes to identify the issues of this period of the painter's career through the publications of Cahiers d'Art, an avant-garde review created during the same period.

The MK Ciurlionis National Art Museum in Kaunas is hosting the exhibition "Dark Arts: Aleksandra Waliszewska and Symbolism of the East and North" until 22 May. It brings together more than 200 paintings by 36 Polish, Czech and Baltic artists from the 19th century to the present day. These works are linked by the themes they address and by the desire of their authors to escape realism and naturalism through the depiction of fantastic scenes.

From 11 to 27 March the 25ᵉ edition of the Printemps des poètes will be held, entitled "Borders". Several events in Europe and around the world are calling for a rethink of the border not just as a geopolitical theme, in connection with the Ukrainian conflict, but also as one that is poetic, aesthetic and literary.

One of the largest gatherings of chefs in history was held in Strasbourg on 6 March to celebrate the 2023 Michelin Guide's ranking. Only one restaurant was awarded a third star, four restaurants received two stars and 39 new restaurants were awarded stars. Thanks to these chefs, Europe is the most gastronomic destination in the world.

On 3 March, Latvian President Egils Levits visited Ukraine for the third time since the beginning of the war. He signed a joint declaration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirming Latvia's support for Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen the Ukrainian army, the continuation of sanctions against Russia and Latvia's participation in the reconstruction of Ukraine.

A conference on justice was held in Lviv on 3 and 4 March, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Participants said that Russia should be held responsible for the crimes committed in Ukraine and supported the idea of a special court to try these crimes.

On 28 February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann to discuss his country's potential membership in the international organisation. In this context, the parties discussed, among other things, the creation of a business-friendly tax regime for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction.