Europarl TV will be totally objective and politically neutral. There is an editorial charter which ensures its objectivity will be respected
Alejo Vidal-Quadras
It is a good idea. The cost is not that great when spread among the 27 member states and it will address the problem of people repeatedly complaining that they do not know anything about the EU
Gary Titley
While continuous coverage of parliament may be of interest to some, no independent TV company in Europe is going to be interested in carrying its material because I do not think they will be able to trust its neutrality, trustworthiness or impartiality
Nigel Farage
As we approach the European elections of June 2009, Europarl TV should be an excellent internet tool for citizens
Hans-Gert Pöttering
MEPs have generally welcomed the much-awaited launch of parliament’s new €9m web TV channel.
Europarl TV, which was launched at a glitzy ceremony in parliament by the assembly’s president Hans-Gert Pöttering on Wednesday, aims to help bridge the so-called democratic deficit between EU institutions and citizens.
Staffed by 15 full-time journalists, the channel is available via the internet and will provide extensive coverage of parliament’s activities, such as plenary and committee meetings, as well as specially-packaged programmes and MEP profiles.
Anyone with internet access will be able to watch a regularly changing set of programmes based around the life of the parliament.
All programmes will be translated into more than 20 languages. Some programmes will be voiced-over while others will be made with subtitles. The largest part of the cost is devoted to programme production and translation.
Kicking off the launch, Pöttering said, “As we approach the European elections of June 2009, Europarl TV should be an excellent internet tool for citizens, especially young people, to keep themselves informed about the activities and decisions of the directly-elected European parliament - decisions which have an impact on the everyday lives of almost 500 million citizens”.
But the launch was greeted with dismay, however, by some Eurosceptic members, including Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, who branded it as a "pure propaganda exercise."
He told this website, "This sees the birth of state-sponsored EU television propaganda. There is absolutely no possibility of it reporting objectively on all views inside parliament.
"While continuous coverage of parliament may be of interest to some, no independent TV company in Europe is going to be interested in carrying its material because I do not think they will be able to trust its neutrality, trustworthiness or impartiality."
While generally welcoming the initiative as an "inexpensive and stripped-down answer" to the need to better communicate parliament, UK Tory MEP Edward McMillan-Scott also voiced similar concerns saying that the issue of the channel’s objectivity "could be seen as a problem."
However, Spanish MEP Alejo Vidal-Quadras, the bureau member charged with overseeing the whole project, refuted such concerns, insisting, "Europarl TV will be totally objective and politically neutral. There is an editorial charter which ensures its objectivity will be respected.
"This communication instrument is necessary in order to inform citizens about parliament and puts us at the frontier of information technology."
His comments were echoed by Christophe Garach, a journalist for 20 years and deputy editor in chief/head of news of Europarl TV, who said, "I am perfectly happy that the content and material will be objective and neutral. It is a great challenge and a vitally important opportunity to deliver a clear message on what goes on in the huge machine that is the European parliament.
"We will include programmes not just about MEPs but about lobbyists, specialists and even journalists," said Garach, a former correspondent with Le Parisien and the French TV channel Canal Plus.
Brussels-based publisher Paul Adamson said, "It is a tremendous initiative and is badly needed. The key will be the content and communication skills of the MEPs. The only bias, if there is any, will be a bias towards reporting the workings of parliament over those of the other EU institutions and there is nothing wrong with that."
Gary Titley, leader of the UK Socialist delegation, said, "It is a good idea. The cost is not that great when spread among the 27 member states and it will address the problem of people repeatedly complaining that they do not know anything about the EU."
UK Socialist deputy Robert Evans described it as a "positive" initiative, adding, "I am not sure how many people are going to actually watch it but anything is better than nothing. A lot of important laws pass through parliament of which many people are unaware and this will bring parliamentary life into the living rooms of the general public."
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