EANA conference in Split

SPLIT - A conference of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) started in Split on Thursday and the chief topic is: "Public money for public value."

Close to 70 directors and main editors from 32 European news agencies are at the conference, including those from the German DPA, France Presse, Itar-Tass, Ansa from Italy, Anatolia, Tanjug and others.

Head of EANA and the APA agency Peter Kropsch opened the conference and pointed out the recent decision by the European Commission that confirmed that governments have the right to fund national agencies in the public interest, even in cases when an agency is not owned by the government, but is private property.

He also mentioned the need for better cooperation between agencies in addressing issues of joint interest to all EANA members.

EANA has worked to improve its cooperation with the EU over the past two years, and its presence in Brussels is of key importance to the organisation and all its members, Kropsch stated.

The European Commission allowed the french government in late March to fund France Presse (AFP), which is privately owned, by recognising that the agency's work is of general interest, but the commission also requested guarantees that the funds would not be a kind of hidden subsidy.

So after four years of deliberation, the commission allowed AFP to receive public funding.

Deputy director of AFP Emanuel Markovic said the agency had submitted a number of studies showing the importance of the work of all public news agancies.

Most consider only TV stations as public broadcasters, but it is clear that the agencies are the top media in that category, so we have to work together to change that view, he noted.
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