euronews will reinforce its presence in Brussels by setting up a new team of over twenty people, as well as a studio and the latest production facilities. This new 600 sq. m office is ideally located in the heart of the European district and has become the largest international news bureau located in the European Capital.
The euronews teams report on European affairs and international news in 10 languages*, soon to become 12. This multilingual and multicultural team will also be equipped to broadcast live as events unfold.
In the presence of Viviane Reding, Vice President of the European Commission for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, Pier Luigi Malesani, Chairman of the Euronews S.A. Supervisory Board, Philippe Cayla, Chairman of the Executive Board and Michael Peters, Managing Director, inaugurated the Brussels euronews bureau.
The office is located at 223-225 rue de la Loi, near the Berlaymont building, headquarters of the European Commission, just off the Robert Schuman roundabout and opposite the European Union’s Department for Foreign Affairs.
Accompanied by Lucian Sârb, Directeur of News and Programmes as well as Peter Barabas and Gardenia Trezzini, Editors-in-Chief, they presented the new team and their objectives. The opening of this new bureau is part of an agreement signed in December 2010 with the European Commission.
Opening a comprehensive newsroom in Brussels is a strategic step for the channel and fits in with its desire to cover European affairs in greater depth. euronews’ coverage of European affairs will now be even more responsive, accurate and comprehensive.
Through reports, interviews, special editions, via link-ups or live broadcasts, the Brussels bureau will cover the daily news concerning these institutions as well as any political, social, cultural or sports events. It will welcome numerous international personalities to the offices as they pass through the European capital. euronews’ unique pan-European view of international news will be considerably broadened.
The creation of this bureau will enable the production of more original programmes addressing Europe-specific topics and has already led to the launch of two of the channel’s new flagship programmes.
– I Talk, an interview show presented by Alex Taylor, the highly respected and renowned multilingual European journalist, and made in a virtual studio. In keeping with his informative and yet relaxed style, Alex Taylor interviews a guest on a 3D set, bringing euronews’ into a whole new dimension,
– The Network, the euronews talk-show. The debate is presented by Chris Burns, eminent Europe correspondent of dual nationality who has lived in Europe for 18 years. Chris brings together three personalities with diverging opinions and points of view. Each guest is invited to answer Chris Burns’ questions on the day’s topical issue.
The Brussels news team will be in permanent contact with Lyon and will participate via video conference in the editorial meetings. The team based at 223-225 rue de la Loi, will consist of:
– 1 Bureau manager – Brussels Bureau: Sergio Cantone, permanent correspondent for euronews in Brussels since 2004, he will be bureau co-ordinator, team manager and he will implement working procedures between Brussels and the Lyon headquarters. The euronews office in Brussels will really benefit from Sergio’s knowledge and experience in the field.
– 1 assistant Bureau Manager who will organise team work alongside the Bureau Manager.
– 10 permanent journalists: Olaf Bruns (German edition), Paul Hackett (English edition), Audrey Tilve (French edition), Margherita Sforza (Italian edition), Fariba Mavaddat (Farsi edition), Alan Gülsum (Turkish edition) and on a temporary basis: Charles Salamé (Arabic edition), Rafael Cereceda (Spanish edition), Maria Barradas (Portuguese edition), Galina Polonskaya (Russian edition).
euronews has selected Headline NFP to set up these new offices. Headline provides audiovisual services, from the installation to the operation of the TV control room/studio, the set, the editing room and the master control room. Headline also provides teams of cameramen and production teams to assist euronews’ own teams in Brussels, including on-site technical manager (Dietrich De Bruyne), and production assistant (Maribel Garcia).