Set to provide a bridge for cross-cultural exchange, the “Europe Days 2015” program will come back to open a window into the richness of the European Union’s different cultural traditions with a series of entertaining and intellectual activities.

On May 9, the European Union embassies in Washington open to the public as part of a programme known as "Shortcut to Europe". If you happen to be in Washington this Saturday, I would urge you to take a look at the programme, as it offers what are technically known in the art world as "hidden gems". 

Western governments and institutions are scrambling to devise a commensurate response to Russia's state-run media offensive, analysts told The Moscow Times on Wednesday amid a wave of reports of Western governments seeking to beef up their own media capabilities.

A joint statement by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said both countries have expressed their interest in taking full advantage of trade agreements in order to enhance the transformative impact of their respective economic policies.

The International Organisation for Migration has predicted that migrant deaths in the Mediterranean might be as high as 30,000 this year (EU emergency summit will offer safe haven to only 5,000 refugees, 23 April). (...)There is a humanitarian solution. 

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party discovered the effectiveness of “soft power” early on in its rule. Soft power was successfully used to promote Turkey as a modern Muslim democracy. Unfortunately, this has now gone into reverse gear due to the increasing authoritarian trends of Turkey's leadership.

European powers struggling to hold together a stalled Ukrainian peace accord will resume talks with Russia and Ukraine in Germany next week as efforts shift from the battlefield to solving political disputes.  European Union leaders say easing economic sanctions on Russia requires full compliance with the agreement negotiated in Belarus in February.