A senior European Commission official told a high-level seminar in Sarajevo today (November 14) he expects the Commission to sign a framework partnership agreement with the EBU to implement a far-reaching project supporting public service media in South East Europe.

Andris Kesteris, a principal advisor in the Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement, was speaking  at a conference organized in Sarajevo by the Commission, the EBU and the Regional Cooperation Council, titled "South East Europe, 20 years on: Transformation from State to Public Broadcasting".

The project, called 'Enabling the pivotal role of sustainable and independent public service media for freedom of expression and the media in South East Europe', has been developed by the EBU over the past year in consultation with the Commission. And it  has  been endorsed by the recently-founded association of Public Service Media in South East Europe, which groups EBU Members in that region.

EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre had been due to give a keynote speech to the conference focusing on the pivotal role of public service media in Europe, but flight changes and delays forced her to cancel her appearance.

Her speech to the gathering of more than 50 directors general of public service media, senior government officials, representatives of regulatory authorities and civil society,
was delivered by David Lewis, EBU Head of Member Relations.

Mr Lewis said: "The national broadcasters of South East Europe need to be strengthened so that they can become truly independent and sustainable public service media. (…) Only when they are adequately funded and when their independence is protected will they be able to play their rightful, pivotal role in the societies that they serve."

He added: "The EBU hopes today will come to be seen as the true launch of a long-term strategy to recognise and secure the pivotal role of public service media in Europe. There is no question about it; well-functioning public service media are guarantors of  social inclusivity and cohesion. They occupy and shape the 'public space'. They encourage and provide a platform for a national dialogue, opening windows through which citizens can gain a deeper understanding of the socio-political realities of the society in which they live. At their best, they broaden knowledge and put diverging views in perspective, thereby enriching people's experience and empowering them to participate in society."

Erik Illes, also of the Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement, told the Sarajevo conference later that he expected baseline research for the project to be conducted in the first quarter of 2012. This was expected to lead to decisions from the European Commission in May to establish a long-term framework partnership agreement with the EBU, and to award the EBU perhaps €1 million over two years to work with its Members in South East Europe on priority issues identified by the research. Lessons learned from this initial phase  could then lead to support for other activities from 2014.

Click here for full text of the address.