Languages & Culture Archives

Pope Francis urged Bulgarians to open their hearts and doors to refugees as he began a visit to the European Union's poorest country, where the main Orthodox Church snubbed holding joint prayers with the pontiff.

Switzerland, where gun culture has deep roots, has managed to avoid the charged national debates over firearm ownership that have consumed other countries.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday (10 March) accused a women’s march in central Istanbul on Friday of disrespecting Islam by booing the Islamic call to prayer.

Several top European politicians backed Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on Thursday (28 February) after he told Arab leaders he was gay and could be condemned to death in some of their countries.

As we prepare to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we can hardly remain composed in our mourning. Rather than observe silence as the deepest mourning is solitary, we feel like shouting.

Republicanism in Catalonia is inseparable from both Catalanism and European federalism, writes Oriol Junqueras, who argues that Europe faces a crucial crossroads: on the one hand, an increasingly extreme right, and on the other, a modern European federalist left.

European Capitals of Culture have been chosen for the past 33 years. Typically, two cities share this title for the period of a year and in 2019 they will be in Bulgaria and Italy. EURACTIV Germany reports

Media and the Cultural and Creative Industries are underrepresented in policies and actions aimed at promoting research and innovation in the EU. Luciano Morganti and Heritiana Ranaivoson present their reflections and recommendations for the future of these sectors.

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.