EU propaganda fails to reach its audience

Date: 20/04/06

The EU's pro-democracy television programmes for Belarus are not reaching enough of the population, activists complained this week.

Since EU-funded broadcasting began on 26 February Belarusian opposition groups say few people have seen the station which is part of a EUR 2 million EU pro-democracy drive.

"In Minsk [during the elections] you could not meet anyone who had seen the station, even among the active opposition," said one Minsk-based opposition activist, who asked not to be named.

The EU began funding a weekly 30-minute current affairs programme before the March presidential elections in the hope of providing a counterbalance to government-dominated terrestrial broadcasting.

Radio programming is also being funded as part of the drive for more pluralism.

Despite 'Window to Europe' being broadcast on Sunday at 17:00, which is considered to be prime-time, audience figures have reportedly been low.

RTVi, the Russian company which won the EU's tender for television broadcasts, blamed political interference, explaining that Belarusian cable operator Kosmos-TV stopped broadcasting the channel shortly before the elections.

Although the channel was still available on satellite and on the internet, the dependence on satellite broadcasting is seen as the principal reason for lack of awareness of the channel.

"The problem is that many Belarusians don't have satellite television," said one Commission official.

But the official defended the EU's decision to use broadcast by satellite: "of course terrestrial television has a much broader audience but they would have jammed it immediately."

Others involved in shaping the project said the EU must be realistic about what it can do given the level of funds it is willing to commit.

"You are not going to create another CNN for EUR 2 million," said one member state diplomat.

Opposition groups and members of the European Parliament are now pressing for the channel to be transmitted on terrestrial networks.

"We would like to see the broadcast technology improved," said Jan Curylovic, a spokesperson for opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich, "there is a need for this signal to reach the Belarusian people".

"[The Radio] should be broadcast on FM wave and modulation should be improved. [For television] we need ground transmission," he added.

Curylovic advocated broadcasting from neighbouring Lithuania or Poland, but admitted it would be difficult and expensive to ensure that the signal could not be jammed.

The EU is facing criticism over the execution of its travel ban on 31 Belarusian politicians, including President Alexander Lukashenko, who are accused of vote-rigging.

Independent sources in Minsk have questioned the inclusion of two individuals on the list - N.D. Usov, listed as the chairman of the election commission in the Gomel region, and Tayana Kravchenko, chairman of the central election commission in Minsk.

Both were placed on the list as part of an EU attempt to sanction the heads of election committees across the country, but some now claim the two were head of the electoral committees in 2004.

While Usov is said to currently be deputy head of the election commission in Gomel, Kravchenko's role is unknown.

The measures entered into force on 11 April.

A spokesperson for the Council refused to comment in detail on the matter, saying: "There is nothing new to say on the issue."

The list was drawn up by EU heads of mission in Minsk.

Article reports on problems faced by the EU-funded initiative that started broadcasting via satellite current affairs programmes into Belarus before the March 2006 Presidential elections in the hope of providing a counterbalance to government-dominated terrestrial broadcasting.

European Commission: DG External Relations: Countries: Belarus http://www.eeas.europa.eu/belarus/index_en.htm

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