Euronews administration didn’t embrace the Greek service in a bundle that will be funded by the EU, a Fee spokesperson has confirmed.
The European Fee isn’t a shareholder in Euronews and has no say within the selections being taken, a Fee spokesperson stated throughout Tuesday’s noon press briefing in Brussels, responding to a query on experiences that the station plans to shut down its Greek-language service.
The spokesperson was responding to a query by an Austrian journalist, who stated that the channel’s administration has agreed to take care of the Greek-language service solely as a web site, whereas closing down the printed part, beginning in January 2022.
Requested whether or not the Fee is now not prepared to help impartial information in these nations Spokesperson Johannes Bahrke stated that “there have been plans by Euronews to franchise its service in Greek and we’re conscious of those plans”, however added that this concern isn’t associated to the Fee’s determination to restrict funding to Euronews and redirect this funding to different media help programmes.
“We now have determined to adapt our ongoing help to Euronews, which has been ongoing for a very long time, to developments out there and the best way folks devour info on-line,” Bahrke added.
“We now have concluded a brand new framework partnership settlement with Euronews for 3 years and the fastened quantity of funding has decreased or is reducing over time, however there will probably be calls the place Euronews and others can apply, and that is additionally to stimulate competitors,” the spokesperson famous.
Bahrke insisted that “there isn’t any direct hyperlink between the 2 initiatives” and any selections on the Greek service.
“The Fee isn’t a shareholder of Euronews, we aren’t concerned within the enterprise selections of Euronews and we’re additionally not concerned within the determination that you simply talked about, which is to franchise the Greek service,” he stated, including that there are ongoing developments and that he’ll be capable of present extra info within the subsequent hours or days.
Responding to a query for clarification, Bahrke stated that throughout the dialogue on a brand new framework settlement “the Euronews folks didn’t recommend the Greek service as a vacation spot for European funds.”
“They need a special mannequin, a franchise mannequin for the Greek service,” he famous, including that “there are the explanation why we determined {that a} small quantity of funds going to Euronews will go to competitors.”
Invited to touch upon whether or not the Fee didn’t insist on together with the Greek service within the funding settlement, the spokesperson stated that “Euronews needed to make a suggestion together with 5 official languages of the Union, and Greece wasn’t of their supply.”
“And it’s not as much as the Fee to inform a tv station what their enterprise mannequin needs to be. That’s as much as them,” Bahrke added, noting that “we aren’t a shareholder, we aren’t concerned in administration selections on Euronews.” He acknowledged nonetheless that he’s conscious that there are implications to those developments.