2022 in Europe

This is a list of events that took place in Europe in 2022 .

Incumbents

Albania

• President – Ilir Meta (2017–24 July 2022); Bajram Begaj (24 July 2022– )
• Prime Minister – Edi Rama (2013– )

Andorra

• Co-Prince (French) – Emmanuel Macron (2017– )
• Co-Prince (Episcopal) – Joan Enric Vives Sicília (2003–2025)
• Head of Government – Xavier Espot Zamora (2019– )

Armenia

• President – Armen Sarkissian (2018–1 February 2022; Resigned); Alen Simonyan (1 February 2022–13 March 2022; Acting); Vahagn Khachaturyan (13 March 2022– )
• Prime Minister – Nikol Pashinyan (2018– )

Austria

• President – Alexander Van der Bellen (2017– )
• Chancellor – Karl Nehammer (2021–2025)

Azerbaijan

• President – Ilham Aliyev (2003– )
• Prime Minister – Ali Asadov (2019– )

Belarus

• President – Alexander Lukashenko (1994– )
• Prime Minister – Roman Golovchenko (2020–2025)

Belgium

• Monarch – Philippe (2013– )
• Prime Minister – Alexander De Croo (2020–2025)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Chair of the Presidency – Željko Komšić (20 July 2022–20 November 2022); Željka Cvijanović (20 November 2022– )
• Chairman of the Council of Ministers – Zoran Tegeltija (2019–25 January 2023)

Bulgaria

• President – Rumen Radev (2017– )
• Prime Minister – Kiril Petkov (2021–2 August 2022); Galab Donev (2 August 2022–2023; Caretaker)

Croatia

• President – Zoran Milanović (2020– )
• Prime Minister – Andrej Plenković (2016– )

Cyprus

• President – Nicos Anastasiades (2013–2023)

Czech Republic

• President – Miloš Zeman (2013–2023)
• Prime Minister – Petr Fiala (2021–2025)

Denmark

• Monarch – Margrethe II (1972–2024)
• Prime Minister – Mette Frederiksen (2019–27 June 2022; First Cabinet); Mette Frederiksen (27 June 2022– ; Second Cabinet)

Estonia

• President – Alar Karis (2021– )
• Prime Minister – Kaja Kallas (2021–18 July 2022; First Cabinet); Kaja Kallas (18 July 2022– ; Second Cabinet)

European Union

• President of the European Commission – Ursula von der Leyen (2019– )
• President of the European Parliament – David Sassoli (2019–11 January 2022; Died in office); Roberta Metsola (18 January 2022– )
• President of the European Council – Charles Michel (2019– )
• High Representative – Josep Borrell (2019– )
• Presidency of the Council (First Half) – Emmanuel Macron (for **France**) (1 January 2022–30 June 2022)
• Presidency of the Council (Second Half) – Petr Fiala (for **Czech Republic**) (1 July 2022–31 December 2022)

Finland

• President – Sauli Niinistö (2012–2024)
• Prime Minister – Sanna Marin (2019–2023)

France

• President – Emmanuel Macron (2017– )
• Prime Minister – Jean Castex (2020–16 May 2022); Élisabeth Borne (16 May 2022–2024)

Georgia

• President – Salome Zourabichvili (2018–2024)
• Prime Minister – Irakli Garibashvili (2021–2024)

Germany

• President – Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2017– )
• Chancellor – Olaf Scholz (2021–2025)

Greece

• President – Katerina Sakellaropoulou (2020–2025)
• Prime Minister – Kyriakos Mitsotakis (2019–2023)

Hungary

• President – János Áder (2012–10 May 2022); Katalin Novák (10 May 2022–2024)
• Prime Minister – Viktor Orbán (2010– )

Iceland

• President – Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (2016–2024)
• Prime Minister – Katrín Jakobsdóttir (2017–2024)

Ireland

• President – Michael D. Higgins (2011–2025)
• Taoiseach – Micheál Martin (2020–17 December 2022); Leo Varadkar (17 December 2022–2024)

Italy

• President – Sergio Mattarella (2015– )
• Prime Minister – Mario Draghi (2021–22 October 2022); Giorgia Meloni (22 October 2022– )

Kosovo

• President – Vjosa Osmani (2020– )
• Prime Minister – Albin Kurti (2021– )

Latvia

• President – Egils Levits (2019–2023)
• Prime Minister – Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš (2019–2023)

Liechtenstein

• Monarch – Hans-Adam II (1989– )
• Head of Government – Daniel Risch (2021–2025)

Lithuania

• President – Gitanas Nausėda (2019– )
• Prime Minister – Ingrida Šimonytė (2020–2024)

Luxembourg

• Monarch – Henri (2000–2025)
• Prime Minister – Xavier Bettel (2013–2023)

Malta

• President – George Vella (2019–2024)
• Prime Minister – Robert Abela (2020– )

Moldova

• President – Maia Sandu (2020– )
• Prime Minister – Natalia Gavrilița (2021–2023)

Monaco

• Monarch – Albert II (2005– )
• Minister of State – Pierre Dartout (2020–2024)

Montenegro

• President – Milo Đukanović (2018–2023)
• Prime Minister – Zdravko Krivokapić (2020–28 April 2022); Dritan Abazović (28 April 2022–2023)

Netherlands

• Monarch – Willem-Alexander (2013– )
• Prime Minister – Mark Rutte (2010–2024)

North Macedonia

• President – Stevo Pendarovski (2019–2024)
• Prime Minister – Zoran Zaev (2020–17 January 2022); Dimitar Kovačevski (17 January 2022–2024)

Norway

• Monarch – Harald V (1991– )
• Prime Minister – Jonas Gahr Støre (2021– )

Poland

• President – Andrzej Duda (2015–2025)
• Prime Minister – Mateusz Morawiecki (2017–2023)

Portugal

• President – Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (2016– )
• Prime Minister – António Costa (2015–2024)

Romania

• President – Klaus Iohannis (2014–2025)
• Prime Minister – Nicolae Ciucă (2021–2023)

Russia

• President – Vladimir Putin (2012– )
• Prime Minister – Mikhail Mishustin (2020– )

San Marino

• Captains Regent – Francesco Mussoni & Giacomo Simoncini (1 October 2021–1 April 2022); Oscar Mina & Paolo Rondelli (1 April 2022–1 October 2022); Maria Luisa Berti & Manuel Ciavatta (1 October 2022–1 April 2023)

Serbia

• President – Aleksandar Vučić (2017– )
• Prime Minister – Ana Brnabić (2017–2024)

Slovakia

• President – Zuzana Čaputová (2019–2024)
• Prime Minister – Eduard Heger (2021–2023)

Slovenia

• President – Borut Pahor (2012–23 December 2022); Nataša Pirc Musar (23 December 2022– )
• Prime Minister – Janez Janša (2020–1 June 2022); Robert Golob (1 June 2022– )

Spain

• Monarch – Felipe VI (2014– )
• Prime Minister – Pedro Sánchez (2018– )

Sweden

• Monarch – Carl XVI Gustaf (1973– )
• Prime Minister – Magdalena Andersson (2021–18 October 2022); Ulf Kristersson (18 October 2022– )

Switzerland

• President of the Confederation – Ignazio Cassis (2022)
• Federal Council – Collective Head of State and Government

Turkey

• President – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2014– )
• Vice President – Fuat Oktay (2018–2023)

Ukraine

• President – Volodymyr Zelenskyy (2019– )
• Prime Minister – Denys Shmyhal (2020–2025)

United Kingdom

• Monarch – Elizabeth II (1952–8 September 2022; Died in office); Charles III (8 September 2022– )
• Prime Minister – Boris Johnson (2019–6 September 2022); Liz Truss (6 September 2022–25 October 2022); Rishi Sunak (25 October 2022–2024)

Vatican City

• Sovereign – Francis (2013–2025)
• President of the Pontifical Commission – Giuseppe Bertello (2011–1 October 2022); Fernando Vérgez Alzaga (1 October 2022–2025)
• Secretary of State – Pietro Parolin (2013– )

Events

See also: COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

January

• 10 January: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte forms his fourth cabinet, almost a year after the collapse of his previous one.
• 16 January:
  • Dimitar Kovačevski was sworn in as Prime Minister of North Macedonia. ^[1]
  • 2022 Serbian constitutional referendum, marked by a low turnout, leads to a revision of the provisions of the constitution concerning judicial power.
• 20 January: Austrian National Council votes 137–13 to approve a bill requiring people over 18 years to receive a COVID-19 vaccine beginning on 1 February, the first country in the European Union to do so.
• 25 January: The number of daily COVID-19 infections in 18 Western European countries were exceeds 1.5 million people, fueled by highly transmissible Delta cron hybrid variant, for the first time since the pandemic begin.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 30 January: 2022 Portuguese legislative election took place.

February

• 4 February: 3 Scandinavian countries including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were lifted all remaining COVID-19-related restrictions up, except for face mask rules due to the country's high vaccination rate.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 11 February:
  • Finland and Iceland both joined 3 Scandinavian countries including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were both also lifted all remaining COVID-19-related restrictions and measures up including face mask rules due to the country's high vaccination rate.^{[ citation needed ]}
  • Biden's administration claimed that Russia now has enough troops and military equipment in place to launch an invasion of Ukraine. ^[2]
• 21 February: Russia recognizes the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republic.
• 24 February: Russia launches its invasion of Ukraine.
• 25 February:
  • U.K. and Ireland both remove all COVID-19 restrictions up, except for face mask rules due to both countries's high vaccination rate.^{[ citation needed ]}
  • 3 Scandinavian countries including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were prepare for transition to the living with COVID-19 endemic phase.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 27 February: 2022 Belarusian constitutional referendum.
• 28 February: Ukraine applied for membership of the European Union (EU).

March

• 2 March: The United Nations General Assembly voted on a United Nations resolution condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. ^{[3] [4]}
• 3 March: 2022 Armenian presidential election
• 7 March: World Health Organization has warned that COVID-19 Delta cron hybrid infection rate has another rising in 10 Western European countries including U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Italy, who fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron BA.2 subvariant, accounting for three-quarters of cases.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 10 March: 2022 Hungarian presidential election
• 13 March: 75th British Academy Film Awards
• 16 March: The inauguration of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge.
• 24 March: The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Germany exceeds 305,592 for the first time since the pandemic begin, fueled by highly transmissible Delta cron hybrid variant.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 26 March: 2022 Maltese general election
• 28 March: COVID-19 Delta cron hybrid infection rate has now peaked in 10 Western European countries including U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Italy, lowest level since back in January 2022.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 31 March: COVID-19 state of emergency in Italy has now officially ends as COVID-19 Deltacron hybrid infection rate declined.^{[ citation needed ]}

April

• 3 April: 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election ^[5] and 2022 Hungarian LGBTQ in education referendum ^[6]
• 8 April:
  • Russian invasion of Ukraine: Russia is condemned by world leaders following a missile attack on Kramatorsk train station, which kills 59 civilians trying to evacuate, including seven children.
  • Global food prices increase to their highest level since the UN's Food Price Index began in 1990, with commodities such as wheat rising by nearly 20% as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
  • U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, and among other European countries were declared the end of COVID-19 pandemic after the first two years of serious outbreak, for example: lifted all restrictions up and then prepare for transition to the endemic phase from Deltacron hybrid variant.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 10 to 24 April: 2022 French presidential election took place.
• 14 April: Russian flagship Moskva becomes the largest warship to be sunk in action since World War II. Ukraine claims to have struck it with Neptune anti-ship missiles, while Russia claims it sank during stormy weather after an onboard fire.
• 18 April: The Battle of Donbas begins, leading to the deaths of several thousand military personnel and civilians.
• 20 April: A European Southern Observatory team announce the discovery of micronovae, a new type of exploding star.
• 24 April: 2022 Slovenian parliamentary election is held to elect all 90 members of the National Assembly of Slovenia, the lower house of Slovenian Parliament; the Freedom Movement party becomes the largest party, winning 41 of 90 seats.
• 27 April: The European Union accuses Russia of blackmail after gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria are halted by energy giant Gazprom.
• 28 April: The Parliament of Montenegro elects a new government with Dritan Abazović as prime minister, following a motion of no confidence against the government of Zdravko Krivokapić.

May

• 6 May: Monkeypox outbreak begins when the first monkeypox virus case is reported in London, the United Kingdom.
• 10 to 14 May: Eurovision Song Contest 2022 is held in Turin, Italy. The contest is won by Ukrainian folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra with their song "Stefania".
• 12 May: An official death toll from COVID-19 and Deltacron hybrid variant in Europe were both exceeds 2 million people since the pandemic begin.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 16 May: The Siege of Mariupol ends in a Russian victory as Ukrainian troops are evacuated from Mariupol.
• 18 May: Finland and Sweden applied for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• 28 May: Spanish club Real Madrid beat English club Liverpool 1–0 to win the UEFA Champions League final played at the Stade de France in Paris, France.

June

• 4 June: Retired general Bajram Begaj is elected the 9th President of Albania by the parliament in the 4th round of voting.
• 14 June: Canada and Denmark end their competing claims for Hans Island by dividing the island roughly in half, ending what was referred to as the Whisky War.
• 19 June: The second round of the 2022 legislative election is held in France, resulting in a hung parliament, with President Emmanuel Macron's coalition losing its majority in the National Assembly. A newly-formed coalition of left-wing parties, led by far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, makes significant gains. Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally also makes historic gains, increasing its number of MPs tenfold and becoming the largest opposition party in Parliament. Two weeks later, Macron's government is reshuffled, continuing as a minority administration.
• 26 June: G7 leaders gather for a summit in Germany to discuss the situation in Ukraine. A ban on imports of Russian gold is announced
• 28 to 30 June: A NATO summit is held in Madrid, Spain along with the presence of guest countries from the European Union and the Indo-Pacific primarily searching for a consensual defensive reinforcement after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sustained threatening over the territorial integrity of other countries.^{[ citation needed ]}

July

• 6 to 31 July: UEFA Women's Euro 2022 is held in England, with the hosts winning their first major tournament since 1966.
• 7 July:
  • After revelations over his appointment of Chris Pincher as Deputy Chief Whip triggered a series of resignations from his government, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces his intention to resign, triggering the Conservative Party leadership election.
• 8 July: Many European leaders including Boris Johnson, Micheál Martin, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Mark Rutte, Mario Draghi, Pedro Sánchez, António Costa, Mette Frederiksen, Jonas Gahr Støre, Magdalena Andersson, Sanna Marin, and E.U. Commissioner President Ursula von der Leyen were reacts to the assassination of Shinzo Abe was "truly heartbreaking".
• 19 July: – At least 3,600 people are killed due to extreme heatwaves hitting much of Europe, additionally causing major wildfires, travel disruption, and record high temperatures in many countries. ^[7]
• 21 July: The European Central Bank raises its key interest rate for the first time in more than 11 years, from minus 0.5 per cent to zero, with plans for further increases later in the year.
• 29 July: Spain and Portugal were both prepare for transition to the living with COVID-19 endemic phase after the first 30 months of serious outbreak.^{[ citation needed ]}

August

• 10 August: Spanish club Real Madrid beat German club Eintracht Frankfurt 2–0 to win the 2022 UEFA Super Cup played at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland.
• 17 August: Turkey and Israel agree to restore full diplomatic relations after a period of tensions.
• 19 August: Montenegro's coalition government of Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazović collapses after the 81-seat parliament passes a motion of no confidence in a vote of 50–1, following dispute within the coalition over an agreement the government signed with Serbian Orthodox Church.

September

• 2 September: The G7 economies agree to impose a price cap on Russian petroleum exports.
• 6 September: Liz Truss is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after winning the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.
• 8 September: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96. Her son, Charles III, who succeeds her as King.
• 11 September: The 2022 Swedish general election is held to elect all 349 seats of the Riksdag. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson resigns after her centre-left bloc narrowly loses to a bloc of right-wing parties, 176 seats to 173; Andersson is succeeded as prime minister by Ulf Kristersson in October.
• 12 September: Armenia–Azerbaijan clash crises: Azerbaijan attacks Armenian positions near the cities of Vardenis, Goris, Sotk, and Jermuk, and occupies certain areas of its territory along the Armenia–Azerbaijan border. Over the next few days, more than 100 Armenian soldiers are killed in the clashes, while Azerbaijan acknowledges 71 fatalities among its forces.
• 19 September: The state funeral of Elizabeth II is held in Westminster Abbey, London. Her coffin is then taken by procession to Windsor Castle for burial with her husband, par ents and sister in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. The funeral is speculated to be the most watched television event in British and world history.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 21 September: Following a major counteroffensive by Ukraine in the east of the country, Putin announces a partial mobilization of Russia and threatens nuclear retaliation, saying "this is not a bluff".
• 25 September: The 2022 Italian general election took place.
• 26 September: The Nord Stream pipeline sabotage occurs by an unknown perpetrator off the coast of Bornholm, Denmark with explosions on two pipelines leaving them inoperable.
• 27 September: Russian occupation authorities in Ukraine claim that their annexation referendums show an overwhelming support for the annexation by Russia of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, and parts of Kherson Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast. However, the voting is widely dismissed as a sham referendum.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 30 September: Russian President Vladimir Putin signs treaties absorbing the occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia into the Russian Federation. This annexation is seen as a breach of international law by the global community.

October

• 8 October: An explosion occurs on the Crimean Bridge connecting Crimea and Russia, killing three and causing a partial collapse of the only road bridge between the Crimean Peninsula and the Russian mainland. Two days later, retaliatory missile strikes are conducted by Russia across Ukraine, the most widespread since the start of the invasion, notably including attacks on Kyiv.
• 20 October: After 45 days in office, Liz Truss announced her resignation as leader of the Conservative Party and her intention to resign as prime minister of the United Kingdom.
• 25 October: Amid a government crisis, Rishi Sunak becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, following the resignation of Liz Truss the previous week resulting in a 50-day tenure.
• 29 October: In response to an alleged Ukrainian drone attack against the Black Sea Fleet, Russia withdraw from a U.N.-brokered deal on the shipment of grain, which had brought down soaring global food prices.

November

• 1 November: The 2022 Danish general election took place.
• 11 November: Ukrainian Armed Forces recapture Kherson, the only regional capital to be taken by Russia since the start of war at 9 months ago.

December

• 2 December: The E.U. joined G7, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand in imposing a cap of $60 a barrel on Russian crude oil, designed to "prevent Russia from profiting from its war of aggression against Ukraine."
• 17 December: Leo Varadkar succeeds Micheál Martin as Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, as part of a rotation agreement made in 2020.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 31 December: Former Pope Benedict XVI dies aged 95.

Deaths

January

• January 2 - Eric Walter Elst, Belgian astronomer (b. 1936)
• January 3 - Viktor Saneyev, Soviet and Georgian triple jumper (b. 1945)
• January 8 - Viktor Mazin, Russian weightlifter, Olympic champion (b. 1954)
• January 11
  • Anatoly Alyabyev, Soviet and Russian athlete and Olympic champion (b. 1951)
  • David Sassoli, Italian politician (b. 1956)
• January 13 - Jean-Jacques Beineix, French film director (b. 1946)
• January 14 - Ricardo Bofill, Spanish architect (b. 1939)
• January 18
  • Sir David Cox, English statistician (b. 1924)
  • Paco Gento, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1933)
• January 19
  • Gaspard Ulliel, French actor (b. 1984)
  • Hardy Krüger, German actor (b. 1928)
  • Hans-Jürgen Dörner, German football player, and Olympic champion (b. 1951)
• January 20 - Heidi Biebl, German alpine skier and Olympic champion (b. 1941)
• January 23
  • Keto Losaberidze, Soviet and Georgian archer and Olympic champion (b. 1949)
  • Thierry Mugler, French fashion designer (b. 1948)
• January 24 - Szilveszter Csollány, Hungarian gymnast and Olympic champion (b. 1970)
• January 25 - Wim Jansen, Dutch footballer and manager (b. 1946)
• January 30 - Leonid Kuravlyov, Soviet and Russian actor (b. 1936)

See also

• Europe portal
• 2020s portal

• 2022 in the European Union
• 2022 in politics and government
• List of state leaders in Europe in 2022

References

1. "Собранието ја избра новата Влада, Ковачевски е премиер". Радио Слободна Европа (in Macedonian). 16 January 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
2. Piotr Smolar (12 February 2022). "Les Etats-Unis toujours plus alarmistes sur la crise en Ukraine". Le Monde..
3. Borger, Julian (2022-03-02). Written at Washington, D.C.. "UN votes to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calls for withdrawal". The Guardian . London. Archived from the original on 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
4. Saric, Ivana; Basu, Zachary (2022-03-02). "141 countries vote to condemn Russia at UN". Axios . Archived from the original on 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
5. "Április 3-ára írta ki az országgyűlési választást Áder János" [János Áder called the parliamentary elections for April 3rd] (in Hungarian). Telex. January 12, 2022.
6. "Április 3-ára írta ki az országgyűlési választást Áder János" [Announcement on the date of the referendum] (in Hungarian). January 11, 2022.
7. "Heatwave: Ferocious European heat heads north". BBC News. 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-19.