Languages & Culture Archives

The spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide on Sunday (6 January) presented the head of the Ukrainian church with a decree granting it independence from Moscow, a historic split strongly opposed by Russia.

La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona’s most recognisable landmark and the best example of unfinished architecture in Europe has agreed to pay a hefty fine after operating without a building permit for well over a century.

The Russian Orthodox Church said on Monday (15 October) it had decided to sever all relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in protest over its endorsement of Ukraine’s request for an “autocephalous”, or independent, church.

Located at a crossroads of different civilizations, Kazakhstan has placed great importance on promoting religious harmony and mutual respect. This year, the country is hosting the sixth edition of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, an initiative which has its roots in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In recent years, many thousands have died and millions more had to flee their homes due to conflicts in which religion has been used to justify discrimination and violence. Countering these dangerous distortions is one of the challenges that religious leaders will address in Astana on 10 and 11 October, writes Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The Czech president refused on Sunday (7 October) to back down from comments slamming what he called a 90% unemployment rate among the country's Roma, earning a rebuke from campaigners and rights activists.

Many praise Georgia as being a good pupil in the Eastern Partnership class, but cementing contacts between Georgia and EU citizens is much more than signing political agreements, writes Mikheil Batiashvili.

Romania's constitutional court ruled Thursday (27 September) that gay couples should have the same family rights as heterosexuals, a judgment that runs counter to a referendum next month seeking to interdict gay marriage.

The Italian state broadcaster, Rai, has appointed a Eurosceptic journalist with a history of publicising fake news as its new president.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Thursday (20 September) hailed an agreement with Macedonia on changing its name and opening the way for it to join NATO and the European Union.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made a point of delivering his plenary speech at the Three Seas Initiative forum in Bucharest in French, bucking the trend of other world leaders attending the event on Tuesday (September 18).

Czechs and Slovaks on Tuesday (20 August) marked 50 years since Soviet tanks crushed the "Prague Spring" democratic reform drive, as protesters used the anniversary to rail against the current Czech government's ties to the Communist Party.

The euphoria triggered by the FIFA World Cup quickly gave way to divisive, ugly debates about national identity and race, around players of diverse ethnic origins. These controversies highlight the need for measured exchanges on belonging in today’s Europe, writes Michael O'Flaherty.

The UK government has taken the somewhat unprecedented step of translating the executive summary of its Brexit White Paper into 22 European languages.

Germany plans to use public money to support companies which invest in Africa, part of a new "Marshall Plan" with which it hopes to tackle the roots of the refugee crisis that has convulsed European politics since 2015.

Riga's plans to impose Latvian as the main teaching language in minority schools has created tension among some of its ethnic Russian population, resurrecting a long-running dispute with Latvia's former Soviet masters.

The growing popularity of English as a medium of instruction at Dutch universities is ringing alarm bells among local lecturers and students, with some now even calling for government intervention.

The EU's top court ruled Tuesday (29 May) that animal slaughter without stunning can only occur in approved abattoirs, saying a ban on temporary slaughter houses does not violate Muslim religious freedom.

Systemic segregation of Roma children in Slovakia's pre-schools and primary education has been around - and barely addressed - for many years. The lack of efforts on their inclusion has been highlighted by both human rights NGOs and the European Commission.

Black people continue to experience some of the highest rates of discrimination in Europe, and the refugee crisis has made things even worse, writes Karen Taylor.

Russia unleashed a blistering war of words against Britain at the UN Security Council yesterday (5 April), deflecting accusations of poisoning a former double agent in England with denials, "Alice in Wonderland" and Russian literature.

There is still one week left to collect signatures for the European Citizen’s Initiative, which aims to introduce common EU standards to protect national minority groups. EURACTIV Poland’s media partner “Gazeta Wyborcza” reports.

A Council of Europe project to help refugees to have their qualifications recognised abroad was extended to include more countries on Wednesday (28 March).

French used to be the recognised language of international diplomacy even though the British Empire was much larger and more dominant. French held out, more or less, until after World War Two, when the global geopolitical balance shifted and the US took over, helped by Hollywood and rock 'n' roll.