Culture and education

Ukraine should stand by the principles of the rule of law and democracy if it wants to join the EU at some point, MEPs said in a debate on the treatment of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. However, views differed on whether it was a good idea for leading EU politicians to boycott the Euro 2012 football games in Ukraine over this. The parliamentary debate was also attended by Ms Tymoshenko's daughter, Yevgenia.

"Europe on the Ground", a Greek youth media project, was awarded first prize at the 2012 Charlemagne Youth Prize ceremony on 15 May in Aachen. Second prize went to Europe Meets School, an exchange programme for Erasmus students (Czech Republic) and the winner of the third prize was the Cycle Me Home project, a documentary road-movie (Hungary). The Charlemagne Youth Prize is awarded annually to projects that foster a shared sense of European identity and integration among young people.

The European Charlemagne Youth Prize is awarded to projects by young people that promote the development of a shared sense of European identity. The three winners of the 2012 Charlemagne Youth Prize will be announced on Tuesday 15 May in Aachen, Germany. We spoke to five previous winners and asked them what impact winning the prize has had on their lives.

Extra support for cinemas showing European films is one of the proposals in the Commission's ambitious Creative Europe proposal to boost the EU's creative and cultural sectors. Although MEPs welcomed the plans when the proposal was debated during a public hearing by the cultural committee on 26 April, they also agreed that it needs to be clearer and more specific. The creative sector is a key part of Europe's economy and accounts for 4.5% of the EU's GDP and 3.8% of employment.

Only 200 out of the EU's 4,000 higher education institutions rank among the top 500 of the world. In order to improve this figure and help maintain Europe's global competitiveness, MEPs adopted a report in plenary on 20 April to urge member states and higher education institutions to modernise higher education by widening access, promoting mobility and encouraging universities to cooperate with local businesses and public bodies.

The European Parliament's Really Simple Syndication (RSS) service has been significantly improved and now allows you to choose which documents, MEPs, committees or delegations - or any combination of those - you'd like to subscribe to. Ready-to-use widgets make it easier than ever to publish your selection on your website. Here's how.

MEPs adopted on 13 March a report calling for more funds and support to encourage student mobility and make European higher education more attractive and competitive. This would involve reinforcing the Bologna Process, which aims to create a European Higher Education Area by making quality standards and degrees more compatible throughout the continent. In addition to the EU, the Process is also implemented in 20 other European countries.

The European Parliament has always been keen to embrace the opportunities for communicating social media have to offer. Instead of guessing what people might want to know, the Parliament is now able to find out directly what questions and concerns they have. It also puts citizens in the driving seat as they can post their views on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages or question MEPs themselves during Facebook chats. Here is a short guide to how you can interact with us online.

Guimarães in Portugal and Maribor in Slovenia will host a wealth of cultural events this year as European capitals of culture for 2012. Throughout the year art lovers will be able to enjoy anything from opera to contemporary dance, classical and popular music, film, theatre, visual arts, literature and architecture. Not only is this a chance for the two cities to show what they offer, it will also help to raise their profile and attract more investment and tourism.

While promoting sports is mainly up to individual countries, the EU should initiate measures against doping, match-fixing and violence in sports stadia, Spanish Christian Democrat Santiago Fisas Ayxela says in a report, to be debated Wednesday and voted Thursday in plenary in Brussels.