MEMO/08/113

Brussels, 26 February 2008

Frequently Asked Questions: European Project

On which frequency will programmes be broadcast? This is not a radio station operating on one frequency, it is a network of operators broadcasting on their normal frequencies and sharing some programmes between them.

What kind of programmes will the network broadcast? A consortium of 16 radios, international, national and regional, from 13 European Union Member states + 7 associated local radios, will broadcast EU related programmes every day, between 30 minutes and 1 hour each. They will make the programmes themselves and translate each others material so that they can be shared. All programmes will deal with European affairs from a European perspective to provide a cross-cultural view on major European stories. Regular programmes will include: - " in brief": European news of the day - "Europe in perspective": explaining European news - "Europe in-depth": magazines, interview, analysis, debates - "Europe Live": major events of the EU

Will the European Commission have any influence over the content of the programmes? No, an editorial charter guarantees editorial independence of the consortium.

How were the operators selected? By means of a call for tender published in July 2007.

Who are the members of the network? Members of the consortium as from the first year are: - - RFI (FR) - Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep - - Polskie Radio - Punto Radio (SP) - - - Hungarian Radio - Skai Radio (GR) - Radio Slovenia International - RTBF (BE) - Radio Romania International - RFI Romania - Europa Lisboa (PT) - RFI (BG)

What is the budget? The annual amount of the contract is 5.8 million EUR (15.890 EUR per day)

In which languages will the network operate? Programmes will be broadcast during the first year in 10 different languages German, French, English, Spanish, Polish, Bulgarian, Greek, Portuguese and Romanian The number of languages will gradually increase to reach 23 languages in the fifth year of the contract.

Can any other radio stations join the consortium? Yes, the consortium is open to new members provided they accept the editorial guidelines of the consortium. It is hoped that the number of members will increase over time to include at least one radio station per Member state.

Will Europeans be able to listen via the internet? Yes, an internet Portal will be created with all technical possibilities (audio-on- demand, podcasting, etc.) People will be able to get the content (text, visual or audio) via the internet portal, on demand radio, podcast etc + links to the forthcoming specific European sites/rubrics of the individual radio stations. The Internet portal will be up running as of 1 July 2008.

What is the estimated audience of the network? The audience is estimated at 12/19 million daily listeners in the European Union plus around 30 million in the rest of the world. The Consortium hopes to increase the European Union audience to around 30 million.

2