EU-funded TV channel would preach to Arab world

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 06/10/05

EU member states are pressing for the launch of an Arabic-language television station to promote European ideas in the Middle East and North Africa.

They hope that an EU-funded broadcaster providing European-style news will redress a perceived democracy deficit in the region.

The proposal comes as the EU and US redouble their efforts to promote demo-cratisation and reform in the Arab world.

But setting up the service is likely to require agreement with national governments around the southern and eastern Mediterranean, some of whom remain sceptical about outside interference.

According to diplomats, reservations remain and an agreement is still uncertain. "Officially they support it, but it is very sensitive," said one source.

Supporters of the plan hope that agreement can be reached by the time of a meeting of EU and Mediterranean leaders in Barcelona on 27 November.

The summit will mark the tenth anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership of 37 countries from around the Mediterranean rim and is expected to focus heavily on strengthening ties between Europe and the Arab world and on democratisation.

"Some member states want something concrete to come from the summit, to show something is really happening," said one EU diplomat.

The European Commission is currently looking into the feasibility of the project, with some officials expressing "mixed feelings about the proposal".

Despite "a lot of political interest", practical problems over the amount of investment needed to sustain the operation have been raised.

"We are talking about a sizeable amount of money," said one Commission source, who described the project as being "a long way away" from fruition.

But according to Philip Fiske de Gouveia, from the London-based Foreign Policy Centre, the channel would fit with a growing trend for countries to project their world-view beyond their national borders.

"In recent years there has been an in-creasing realisation in the corridors of power that information and media has to be a strategic priority," said Fiske de Gouveia.

But, he added, the new channel could face problems. "There is an awful lot of competition. Al-Jazeera and other channels have done a great job in opening up the debate in the Arab world and in increasing contact inside the Middle East. The new channel will have to be interesting for the people in the region."

With EuroNews heavily tipped as the leading candidate to operate the service, questions have also been raised over the tendering procedure.

EuroNews's Arabic service, which the Commission funded to the tune of €3 million in the late 1990s, was pulled after two years after failing to raise sufficient advertising revenue.

A spokesperson for EuroNews said that the company, which currently broadcasts in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, is still interested in creating an Arabic service.

"EuroNews is still strongly interested to have an Arabic language version and we are discussing this with several partners," said Lydie Bonvallet, head of press and public relations.

Senior officials from the Euro-Med countries will meet on 8 November and are expected to try to finalise a deal.

Article reports that EU Member States were pressing for the launch of an Arabic-language television station to promote European ideas in the Middle East and North Africa. It was hoped that an agreement could be reached before the Extraordinary High Level Meeting to be held in Barcelona on 27-28 November 2005 in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Senior officials from the Euro-Med countries were to meet on 8 November and were expected to try to finalise a deal.

EEAS: Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EUROMED) http://eeas.europa.eu/euromed/index_en.htm

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