« The results of structural support within the « Europe for Citizens » Programme have been published : the European Commission withdraws its support to Euradionantes »
For seven years, Euradionantes has been offering a unique project in Europe : a radio-school that trains tomorrow’s European journalists. Almost 200 young people coming from all over the continent have joined our newsroom to report on European news and to bring it closer to the citizen’s daily life. A way to raise awareness about European citizenship, to stimulate intercultural dialogue and to enhance local initiatives.
Euradionantes is an independent and open media, a participative platform that encourages citizens to speak up by opening its studios to civil society organisations. The aim is to offer a rich and qualitative perspective on European issues, which respect a diversity of opinions.
Today, the future of Euradionantes is in danger. A decision by the European Commission could condemn our radio-school and make it disappear before the end of the year.
“Europe for Citizens” is a programme implemented by the European Commission which aims especially to support initiatives that encourage democratic engagement and civic participation at EU level.
Within the framework of the programme for the period 2014-2020, a call for proposalswas published in November 2013 for bodies pursuing an aim of general Union interest. This call concerned structural support, also known as operating grants, in the form of Framework Partnerships for four years (2014-2017).
The selection results have been announced on the 12th of June 2014: to our great dismay, Euradionantes does not appear in the list of selected organisations.
Beyond the negative outcome for our radio station, the analysis of the results revealssome information that we wonder about and that certainly needs some clarification.
The number of granted organisations has moved from 52 in 2013 to 34 in 2014. Indeed, the total budget available has decreased by 18%, but we also see that some organisations double or even triple the amount of the grant awarded compared to 2013. Whereas other organisations, such as Euradionantes, will lose all funding from the European Commission : this decision rules out the opportunity to benefit from the structural support until 2018.
In these times of crisis and budget cuts, would it not have been more appropriate to maintain more organisations within the framework of the programme ?
Of course, far be it from us to blame the organisations that benefit from this support. On the contrary, it is essential that we remain united to shed light on this situation and to continue acting with a common interest : make the European project live, involve citizens, listen and engage in dialogue.
The decision of the European Commission is even more beyond understanding that it happens in the aftermath of the European elections. Our radio team has worked hard to inform the public about the vote, with enthusiasm and professionalism, aiming to encourage « democratic engagement and civic participation », which is indeed one of the two priorities stated by the European Commission in the call for proposals.
We would like to thank all the people and organisations that have shown us their support since the results have been published. It reinforces our belief in the necessity to inform the public about Europe and to offer our youth a concrete experience of European citizenship, towards a common future. »
