From 1 January to 30 June 2021 Portugal will take over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Under the motto “Time to deliver: a fair, green and digital recovery”, and with the COVID-19 pandemic as a background, the Portuguese Presidency aims to reinforce Europe’s resilience and confidence in the European social model.

The trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin will begin in Minneapolis. Chauvin is charged with second degree murder, two counts of third degree murder and second degree manslaughter over the May 25 killing of George Floyd. Protests broke out worldwide after video footage of Officer Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes prior to his death was released. Eurovision can offer live standup positions overlooking the courthouse in Minneapolis.

The US and Iran are resuming indirect talks in Vienna with representatives of the EU, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China in hopes of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. US President Biden has made rejoining the accord a priority after the Trump administration pulled the US out of it in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. Eurovision News Events is offering live stand-up positions in Vienna in front of the Imperial Hotel where the talks are taking place.

Prince Philip, who died last week at the age of 99, will be laid to rest on the afternoon of Saturday 17 April at St George’s Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle.The ceremonial royal funeral for Queen Elizabeth II’s husband will be attended by only 30 people, due to coronavirus restrictions.The funeral procession and service will be televised. Eurovision News Events offers live positions in Windsor and in London, radio positions, workspaces and worldwide technical access to the live signal

The Biden administration has announced it will host a Climate Summit on April 22nd, 2021, bringing together leaders of major economies. The summit will be held on Earth Day 2021, which is also the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement. The summit may be largely virtual due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.

The informal video conference meeting of Energy Ministers will take place on 22 April at the CCB in Lisbon. More information soon

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, no earlier than April 22nd. Aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft will be four astronauts: NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Eurovision is planning to offer live standup positions from this event.

The informal video conference meeting of Environment Ministers will take place on 23 April at the CCB in Lisbon. More information soon

The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Investment Bank (EIB) will organize a High-Level EU-Africa Forum on Green Investment on 23 April, after a month of talks between African and European countries about the green transition and investment. The event will consist of around 25 online Green Talks, transmitted from capital cities on the two continents.

The 93rd annual Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on April 25th. The show producers have announced the event will take place in person and not virtually. They have also banned casual dress and warned nominees they will not have the opportunity to appear from a remote location. The gathering will be limited to nominees, their guests and the Oscar presenters. Eurovision will offer live standup positions overlooking the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles.

The Social Summit will take place in Porto on 7 May 2021. More information soon.

The Informal Meeting of Heads of State or Government and the EU-India Summit will take place in Porto on 8 May 2021. More information soon.

The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Rotterdam starting with the opening night on 16 May to the semi finals on 18 and 20 May to the final on 22 May. Dutch and ESC officials have now confirmed that Dutch fans will be allowed to attend the event in limited numbers, so artists will be performing in front of a live audience. Eurovision News Events, EBU Radio and ESC hosts NPO, AVRO/TROS and NOS will offer a wide range of broadcast facilities from the AHOY Arena from 15 to 22 May.

The Informal General Affairs Council will take place on 17-18 May 2021. More information soon

The European Council will take place on 24 and 25 June 2021.

The World Economic Forum will convene the Special Annual Meeting 2021 in Singapore from 17-20 August. It will return to Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, for the Annual Meeting 2022. Eurovision News Events will be offering broadcast services inclusive of pool distribution, standups, studios, digital and radio services, and both on site and remotely. Contact newsevents@eurovision.net for your plans.

The 20th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks will be commemorated across the United States. The attacks in 2001 took the lives of almost 3,000 people after militants associated with al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks within the U.S. Eurovision will offer live standup positions in New York and Washington, D.C.

The high-level debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) will open on Tuesday, 21 September 2021. The high-level debate is generally preceded by a high-level summit. The format of the 76th UNGA has not yet been announced after the previous summit was held in a virtual format due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The election of the 20th German Bundestag is scheduled for 26 September 2021. The vote will mark the end of Angela Merkel's chancellorship after 4 terms and 16 in power. News Events will be present in key locations for news coverage. Please contact newsevents@ebu.ch or +41227172840 to discuss your requirements.

The European Council will take place on 14 and 15 October 2021.

The European Council will take place on 16-17 December at the Europa building in Brussels.