While the 25 heads of states and governments discuss a common front to fight clandestine immigration in Lahti, NGOs say the EU policy is "expensive and inhuman"

Connoisseurs from all over the world visit Brussels to stock up on pralines, the famous traditional Belgian chocolates

Francophone and Flemish, North African and Eurocrat… The European Capital mirrors the contradictions and cultural diversity of Europe

33 year-old Marius Ivaskevicius is a poet, playwright and director who explores the complexity and melancholy of the Slavic soul. His works are at once tender and humourous

In Madrid, the leader of the French right wing party UMP declared the EU should decide on asylum issues

Are state faith schools a viable solution to integration problems in Europe?

Firms in Poland increasingly fund the bilingual education of expats’ children. But financial problems and contract negotiations impede access to exclusive international schools

Thousands of Vietnamese are repressed in their home country and are forced to leave Asia and try their luck abroad. For those who choose Poland, the transition is sometimes tough

Despite a population of 15 million Muslims in Europe, stereotypes are still strong: Islam = terrorism. Muslim organisations fail to tackle the identity crises that destabilise their communities

At today's inauguration of Perpignan's 19th festival ‘Visa pour l'image’, Newsha Tavakolian, an Iranian photojournalist, focuses on the situation of women in the Middle East

What is kosovar national identity? Migjen Kelmendi, editor of the weekly Java, opens the debate with a recently published book Who is Kosovar?

The 12th Sarajevo Film Festival, which ended on August 26, featured a packed programme of challenging films, revealing the remarkable

renaissance of filmmaking in the Balkans.

Kazakhstan holds a key position on the Asian highway network which criss-crosses 32 Asian states. At the used car market “Barys”, traders discuss the merging of Europe and Asia

Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to step up deportations of illegal immigrants to 25,000. A network of teachers fights to defend pupils and their families

As the owner of one of the most beautiful modern-day Romany voices, Mónika Miczura, 37, affirms her musical freedom, reclaims her own traditional instincts and modernity, and turns her back on the standard clichés of gypsy folklore.

8000km from home, the Congolese community in Paris remain as concerned as ever by the politics in their country – and unconvinced the elections that took place on the 30 July will change anything

As the former Zaïre prepares to have its first democratic elections in 45 years, Congolese-born comedian Dieudonné Kabongo talks about Africa and the disillusionment of young immigrants who try their luck in Europe

Dispelling stereotypes of gypsy music being about old men singing in restaurants, today’s DJs are showing that it remains a vibrant and powerful form of music

Strong words from Tony Blair mark the launch of the Labour government’s Respect campaign, which aims to keep petty crime under control and update the concept of freedom in society.

Belgium's autonomous regions aren't speaking the same language.