AIB part of ‘Putting Europe in the picture’

21 May 2005

Two hundred broadcast editors and correspondents from all over Europe gathered in Brussels on 20 April for a two-day consultative conference under the title: Putting Europe in the Picture. It was the first time that senior editors from both public and commercial Television, Radio and Online news outlets have been asked to contribute directly to the development of a new European Commission communication strategy.

The Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström, responsible for Institutional Relations and the Communication Strategy underlined the willingness of the Commission of a better partnership with broadcasters. ‘It may be hard to package Europe in sound-bites and attractive images. ‘It’s time to get away from the old approach of putting out the same dull and uniform messages to everyone in Europe. It’s time to find out what people actually need to know, and to start giving them the information they need in lively language that makes sense to them, using the media they are familiar with. You the broadcasters are crucial to the success of this strategy’.

Mrs. Wallström suggested regular meetings between the broadcasters and the EU institutions to assess the changing needs of both sides and to highlight the best TV concepts dealing with European affairs. She wished to encourage the development of European TV and Radio networks, a concrete co-operation also with regional and local broadcasters as well as use of attractive formats for putting across the message about the Union policies.

Appropriately held at the Maison de la Radio in Brussels, Flagey Centre, the former headquarters of Belgian Radio, the conference theme was to establish how the EU can help broadcasters to report European affairs more effectively. It was conducted in collaboration with the main European broadcasting associations, including the EBU – European Broadcasting Union, CIRCOM – Europe’s Association of Regional Television, ACT – Association of Commercial Television, AER – Association of European Radio, COPEAM – Association of Mediterranean Broadcasters, ENEX – European News Exchange, and AIB – Association for International Broadcasting.