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Elections :

The People's Party comes out ahead in Spain's parliamentary elections

The People's Party (PP) led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo came out ahead in the Spanish parliamentary elections on 23 July, with 33.05% of the vote and 136 seats (+47 compared with the 2019 elections). He came in ahead of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist Party (PSOE), which won 31.7% of the vote and 122 seats (+2). Vox, led by Santiago Abascal, fell back with 12.39% of the vote and 33 seats (-19). The Sumar (Add) movement, which brings together sixteen left-wing political parties, won 12.31% of the vote and 31 seats. As the PP does not have an absolute majority (176) with Vox, it is not expected to be able to form a government. Pedro Sanchez could also try to form a coalition with Sumar and regionalist parties. If none of them succeed, new elections could be called... Read more

Foundation :

Publication of the Schuman Report, State of the Union 2023

Europe has changed... This is what is shown by the "Schuman Report on Europe, the State of the Union 2023", as it analyses the profound changes that have taken place in Europe, accelerated by the shock of the war in Ukraine. This 17th edition, published by Marie B., includes 19 contributions from leading figures, including Alain Lamassoure on "European identity, history and integration". The book includes 30 original maps and a full set of commented statistics. The book is available in paper and digital versions in French, and in digital format in English. Order your copy now!.. Read more

"Europe, the war in Ukraine and de-Westernisation

The summer issue of the 'Revue internationale et stratégique' is out, with a special report entitled "Towards the de-Westernisation of the World? The Chairman of the Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, contributed an article on "Europe, the war in Ukraine and de-Westernisation"... Read more

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Commission :

Recommendations for antibiotic stocks

On 17 July, the Commission, the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) published recommendations on measures to be taken to prevent antibiotic shortages over the coming winter. The EMA recommends increasing the production of key antibiotics, monitoring supply and demand, and initiatives to raise public awareness... Read more

Council :

Informal meeting of Justice and Home Affairs ministers

The informal meeting of Justice and Home Affairs ministers was held in Logrono on 20 and 21 July. They discussed the latest trends in organised crime, the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the complexity of access to digital data for law enforcement agencies. They agreed on the need to promote the external dimension of migration. They expressed the need to continue operational cooperation and the exchange of information with Ukraine in order to prevent the diversion of weapons. Finally, the meeting provided an opportunity to deepen the debate on the fight against organised crime, focusing on the threat posed by drug trafficking... Read more

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Informal Meeting of Fisheries Ministries

Meeting in Vigo on 17 and 18 July, the Fisheries Ministers discussed the need to adapt the European fleet and aquaculture to sustainable development and the energy transition... Read more

Agreement on rules for hedge funds and alternative investment funds

On 20 July, the Council and Parliament reached an agreement on updating the rules on hedge funds, unit trusts and other alternative investment funds... Read more

Agreement on cyber resilience

On 19 July, the Council adopted its position on the draft legislation on cyber resilience, which notably concerns security requirements for digital products, with regard to the design, development, production and making available on the market of hardware and software products. The text now has to be negotiated with Parliament... Read more

Diplomacy :

Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers

On 20 July, the Foreign Affairs ministers discussed the war in Ukraine, economic security and relations with Turkey. They renewed the economic sanctions against Russia because of the war for a further 6 months, as well as the list of terrorist persons and entities. They decided on new sanctions against Russians responsible for violence in connection with the Navalny and Kara-Murza cases, and against Iran and Burma. They authorised the signing and provisional application of the partnership agreement between the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States for the next twenty years, which succeeds the Cotonou Agreement. They adopted a €20 million assistance measure for the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo... Read more

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Summit with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States

On 17 and 18 July, the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held their 3rd summit in Brussels. The leaders discussed economic, trade, environmental and human rights issues. On the sidelines of the event, the European Union signed an agreement on sustainable value chains for raw materials with Chile, and decided to step up its cooperation with Uruguay on the transition to clean energy. Finally, the European Union and the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States also set up a digital alliance... Read more

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Stabilisation and Association Council with Bosnia-Herzegovina

The 5th meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Council with Bosnia-Herzegovina was held in Brussels on 19 July. The European Union reiterated Bosnia-Herzegovina's European perspective, but stressed the urgent need for the country to make progress on all 14 priorities essential for the opening of accession negotiations... Read more

France :

Ministerial Reshuffle

On 20 July, the Élysée announced a reshuffle of the government, with Élisabeth Borne remaining Prime Minister. Eleven ministries have changed, including Health, Education and Solidarity. Gabriel Attal has been appointed Minister for National Education and Youth, Aurélien Rousseau Minister for Health and Prevention and Aurore Bergé Minister for Solidarity and the Family... Read more

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Italy :

Conference on Migration

A conference on development and migration was held in Rome on 23 July, with the participation of a number of countries from the European Union (Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Malta), the southern shores of the Mediterranean, the Sahel, Africa, the Middle East and a number of international organisations. The participants undertook to cooperate on the management of illegal migration, support for refugees and development policy... Read more

Poland :

Intergovernmental consultation with the Czech Republic

The Polish and Czech governments met in Katowice for an intergovernmental consultation. Discussions focused on energy, infrastructure development and defence. The security of the borders of the European Union and its Member States was also discussed. The prime ministers of Poland and the Czech Republic, Mateusz Morawiecki and Petr Fiala, emphasised their shared views on geopolitical issues and their opposition to the mechanism for relocating asylum seekers within the European Union... Read more

Ukraine :

Visity by the Irish Prime Minister

On 19 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in Kyiv. The two leaders discussed security and political cooperation, the implementation of the peace formula and the creation of a compensation mechanism to offset the damage caused to Ukraine. They also discussed the European Union's 12th package of sanctions against Russia to deprive it of the capacity to produce missiles... Read more

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Global food security alert

Russian air strikes against Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea could have major repercussions for global food security, the UN's head of political affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, told the Security Council on 21 July. This was despite Russia's refusal on 17 July to extend the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain... Read more

Council of Europe :

MONEYVAL report on Romania

In a report published on 18 July, MONEYVAL, the Council of Europe body responsible for combating money laundering, states that the Romanian authorities must further strengthen measures to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. It insists that the investigation and prosecution of money laundering must become a priority... Read more

Opinion of the Commissioner for Human Rights on the EU-Tunisia agreement

The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, said on 18 July that cooperation between European states and Tunisia in the field of migration should be subject to "clear human rights guarantees". She was responding to the agreement signed on 16 July providing for €105 million to be granted to Tunisia in return for efforts to combat irregular migration to the EU... Read more

IMF :

Report on the euro zone economy

The IMF published its report on the economic outlook for the eurozone on 19 July, noting that the eurozone economy showed remarkable resilience following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, thanks to a swift policy response and a strong rebound in services. However, economic activity weakened considerably in the second half of 2022 and entered a mild technical recession in early 2023 as financial conditions tightened, real wages fell and consumer confidence waned. Going forward, growth is expected to pick up gradually in 2023 and 2024... Read more

OECD :

Report on equality and discrimination

The OECD has published the SIGI 2023 global report on equality in times of crisis. Based on the Social Institutions and Gender Equality Index (SIGI), this report provides a global overview of discrimination in social institutions, which is one of the fundamental causes of gender inequality. Between 2019 and 2023, a growing number of countries tackled discriminatory social institutions, notably through legal reforms aimed at breaking harmful patterns. Nevertheless, progress is slow and could be hampered by numerous environmental, economic and social challenges... Read more

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Eurobarometer :

Survey on Europeans and ecological transition

On 20 July, Eurobarometer published a new survey on the opinions of Europeans on the ecological transition. 93% of those questioned believe that climate change is a serious problem, and 58% think that the transition to a green economy should be speeded up... Read more

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Eurostat :

Decrease in inflation

In June, annual inflation in the eurozone stood at 5.5%, compared with 6.1% in May, according to figures published by Eurostat on 19 July. A year earlier, it was 8.6%. Annual inflation in the European Union was 6.4% in June 2023, compared with 7.1% in May. A year earlier, it was 9.6%. Compared with May, annual inflation fell in twenty-five Member States... Read more

Culture :

Monet in the spotlight in Monaco

Until September 3, the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco is devoting an exhibition to Monet. Through around a hundred paintings, the exhibition retraces Monet's artistic career and the influence of the Riviera on the painter's work... Read more

Tallinn print exhibition

Until 5 November, the Kumu (or Kunstimuuseum) in Tallinn is staging an exhibition devoted to engravings made by women artists in the 1960s. Entitled "Par la gorge noire de tes yeux" (through the Black gorge of your eyes), it highlights this rich and atypical work... Read more

Exhibition on art and technology in Hydra

Until 30 October, the DESTE Foundation in Hydra is staging an exhibition exploring the impact of technology on the imagination. A number of works by artists such as Duchamp, Wilhelm Reich, Jeff Koons and Pamela Rosenkranz are on show to explore this theme... Read more

Marzena Turek Gas exhibition in Warsaw

Until 30 October, the Zacheta National Art Gallery in Warsaw is hosting an exhibition by Marzena Turek Gas. The exhibition invites visitors to discover the artist's colourful work, at the intersection of sculpture and design... Read more

Art Fair Prague

The 7th Prague Art Fair is being held at the U Zlatého Kohouta gallery in the city's historic centre until 22 August. Nearly a hundred works of art by 32 Czech and foreign artists are on show... Read more

Festival of Macerata

The Macerata Opera Festival will be running until 19 August. The Sferisterio will host Carmen by Georges Bizet, Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti and La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, as well as a series of symphonic and dance events... Read more

Bayreuth Festival

The Bayreuth Festival will run until 28 August. Founded in 1876 by Richard Wagner. It is devoted to the performance of his ten most important operas... Read more

Salon-de-Provence Chamber Music Festival

The 31st Salon-de-Provence International Chamber Music Festival will be taking place from 28 July to 5 August. The festival features some thirty leading soloists in a brand new programme... Read more

Festival of Saint-Sebastien

From 3 August to 1 September, San Sebastian's Music Fortnight will bring together a number of music events covering a wide range of styles and authors: operas, classical ballet performances, symphony and early music concerts... Read more

Edinburgh Festival

The Edinburgh International Festival will be held from 4 to 27 August. This world-class cultural event features a programme of the finest artists and ensembles from the world of dance, opera, music, theatre and film... Read more

Luzern Festival

From 8 August to 10 September, the classical music festival will be held in Luzern, Switzerland. Over a period of more than 5 weeks, around a hundred concerts will be presented, covering a vast range of music... Read more

Festival of Sziget

The Sziget Festival, held from 10 to 15 August in Budapest on the island of Obuda, is one of Europe's biggest popular musical and cultural events... Read more

The Letter is also available in:

The Letter's Editorial Team :

Stefanie Buzmaniuk, Helen Levy ;
Basile Desvignes, Romain Maillot, Lina Nathan, Sixtine Hartog

Editors-in-chief: Eric Maurice
Publishing Director: Pascale Joannin
N° ISSN : 2729-6482

Contact/Suggestions

The Robert Schuman Foundation, created in 1991 and acknowledged by State decree in 1992, is the main French research centre on Europe. It develops research on the European Union and its policies and promotes the content of these in France, Europe and abroad. It encourages, enriches and stimulates European debate thanks to its research, publications and the organisation of conferences. The Foundation is presided over by Mr. Jean-Dominique Giuliani.