For years, the EU has talked about creating a "knowledge economy" and aimed at improving higher education. But very few European universities make it to the global top-lists and the number of Europeans receiving Nobel prizes is steadily declining.
Europeans, experts and politicians agree that climate change is a fact and that human activity contributes to it. At the same time energy prices are rocketing and dependence on supplies from unstable parts of the world is growing.
With digital publishing fast-becoming a multibillion euro market in the EU, artists, consumers, publishers and computer companies have taken off the gloves in a fight on regulation.
As an official media partner of the The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008', this special section of the EUobserver, produced in partnership with EuropocketTV, puts the spotlight on cultural issues.