This month we hear from both Swedish and Spanish cultural diplomats about their work in the UK, especially as the Swedes have just handed over to the Spanish the Presidency of the EU Council. There's an appraisal of the 12 Star Gallery which is now in its fifth year and details of the latest exhibition of winners of the European Year for Creativity and Innovation photo competition. We also mark the 100th birthday of Django Reinhardt, the father of Gypsy Swing, and the launch of the European Capitals of Culture for 2010. Finally, we are pleased to announce the winners of European Border Breakers Awards, some of which you might see at one of the music festivals listed in our guide for this year.

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Carlo Otto Werkelid talks to Steve Fallon
A journalist throughout his career specialising in culture (he was culture editor for Sweden's newspaper of record, the Stockholm-based Svenska Dagbladet, for eight years), Carl Otto Werkelid jumped ship in 2008 and made his way to London where he took up the post of Counsellor for Cultural Affairs...>>

Spain's Gift to the World by Caroline Bugler
Hispanic culture is enjoying a moment in the limelight. This midwinter museum-going Londoners are being treated to a series of darkly dramatic Hispanic images. At the National Gallery an exhibition of Spanish art that sounded on the face of it a highly unlikely crowd pleaser has met with... >>

12 Star Service to the Arts by Jonathan Fryer
Mention the European Commission to most Londoners and their minds will conjure up images of bent cucumbers and faceless Brussels bureaucrats - the latter surely an ideal subject for the late René Magritte. Alas, the myths peddled by the popular Press and Euro-sceptic politicians still hold considerable sway amongst... >>

Django 100 by Monika Kroll and Kevin Smith
It's rare for an entire musical genre to be embodied in one single figure, yet Django Reinhardt easily stands as the unequivocal exemplar of Gypsy Swing. It is a music both joyous and sad, timeless and modern, the authentic voice of a people who have so often had to survive on little else than their pride... >>

Popular Music Festivals in Europe 2010 by Kieron Tyler
Ads in the back of the British music press inevitably include entreaties to sign up for festivals like Paris' Rock En Seine, Denmark's Roskilde or the Netherland's Pink Pop. With lower ticket prices than the UK equivalents, these are attractive options for mixing travel with music. But bands increasingly schedule...>>

UK winner in European Border Breakers Awards (EBBAs)
UK songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Winston (Hobo), from Cornwall, is among the winners of the 2010 European Border Breakers Awards (EBBAs). The winners received their awards on Thursday 14 January in Groningen, the Netherlands, in a televised show presented by Jools Holland. >>

Essen, Pécs and Istanbul: European capitals of culture 2010
Three European cities are set to kick off a year-long culture fest featuring exhibitions, music and theatre. The cities chosen to be this year's European capitals of culture are Essen and the Ruhr region of Germany, Pécs in southern Hungary and Istanbul in Turkey. Taking over from Linz (Austria) and Vilnius (Lithuania)...>>

Exhibitions: Imagine a New World (19 - 29 January 2010)Winning photographs from the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 competition. Three winners, including James Naylor from the United Kingdom, were chosen out of 1500 photographers from over 30 European countries by a jury chaired by Professor of photography and President of the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA) Chris Wainwright. >>