Culture and education

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.

The EU's student and teacher exchange programme, named after the Dutch philosopher Erasmus, celebrates its silver jubilee this year. Since its launch in the late 80's, nearly 3 million students and teachers have been able to study and work abroad with the help of Erasmus grants.

Sometimes, it is just so tempting. You fall madly in love, get angry, or drunk, and you want to tell the whole world - so you put it on Facebook. You put your address and telephone number on the internet when you buy something. Your doctor has your medical record in an online database. You share thoughts and data online without even thinking about it. But what if you want to remove them?

Bill Gates praised European countries and the EU for their commitment to development aid Tuesday afternoon and encouraged them to continue despite the tough economic times. Speaking to the members of the Development Committee, Gates said "Europe's role will shape global action, what happens to people in need."

Everyone needs a break from politics sometimes. Why not take a short cultural break and dive into the artistic wealth of the European Parliament's art collection? Take a look at some of the work of talented young Europeans gathered by the Parliament over 30 years. Savour the moment when art, politics and technology meet.

Welcome to the new-look European Parliament website. Today we introduce an entirely redesigned site, bringing a cleaner, more contemporary and visually appealing appearance and some important new features, while retaining all the familiar news and information you expect to find here. We hope you will like it.

This year's LUX film prize went to French move "Les neiges du Kilimandjaro". Jerzy Buzek awarded the prize during a ceremony on 16 November during the plenary ceremony in Strasbourg. Director Robert Guédiguian couldn't attend and producer Marc Bordure attended on his behalf.

About 250 students stepped into the shoes and sat in the seats of MEPs last weekend as they participated in the EuroMedScola programme in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. A group of students, aged 16-18, from EU and Mediterranean countries dealt with issues normally dealt with by the MEPs and, according to EP President Jerzy Buzek, "we can be proud of their responsibility for the future".

The winners of this year's Charlemagne Youth Prize were in the European Parliament 9 and 10 November to meet EP President Jerzy Buzek and present their projects to the Culture Committee.