Public radio and television broadcasters can and should play a key role in properly recounting the compelling human narrative behind the flows of migration across the Mediterranean, along with the political, social and economic implications.

This is the central message to emerge from the 22^nd meeting of the Permanent Conference of European and Mediterranean Audiovisual organisations (COPEAM), held on the island of Malta at the weekend at the kind invitation of PBS, the national member.

Around 200 participants from 26 countries gathered in the capital, Valletta. Debate and discussion centred on how to strengthen and increase cooperation among media organisations to produce a better narrative on the unprecedented movement of people that is challenging both countries and cultures.

Highlighting the significant numbers of migrants arriving on the shores of Italy, President of Italian public broadcaster RAI Anna Maria Tarantola emphasized that “behind the numbers, there are human beings." Continuing in her speech to delegates, Ms Tarantola, who is also EBU Vice President, said: "The EBU must ensure a more targeted use of Partnership Programme resources and re-establish a better geographical equilibrium within the Union."

The annual COPEAM meeting is also the time for various committees, ranging in topics from training to gender equality, to take stock of shared activities over the past year and plan new ones. The organisation’s overall mission is to bring the different actors of the Euro-Mediterranean cultural and audiovisual sector together in a permanent forum of dialogue and cooperation.

Participants had the opportunity to present projects and discuss shared interests at meetings of COPEAM’s seven theme-based working committees: television, radio, archives, training, TV news and magazines, gender parity and cinema/festivals/culture. In addition to the General Assembly, the traditional meeting of the Tripartite was also held. This coordinates actions within the Mediterranean area between the EBU, ASBU and COPEAM and established an action plan for 2015.