WRITTEN QUESTION P-3364/02 by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission. Portuguese on Euronews.
Date: 2002-11-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, European television, Portugal, dismissal, financial aid, multilingualism, private media

C 242 E/54

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

9.10.2003

However, a proper implementation of the hygienic measures that are necessary in case of mass vaccination
of livestock is a primary responsibility of each veterinarian or other adequately trained personnel applying
vaccination. These measures must be inter alia proportional and based on balancing costs and benefits.

(2003/C 242 E/054)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3364/02

by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission

(20 November 2002)

Subject: Portuguese on Euronews

The important role played by the Euronews television channel has been acknowledged by Parliament on
several occasions. This view is doubtless shared by the Commission. For that reason, the Euronews channel
receives significant financial support from the Community even though it is privately owned.

The main justification for Community funding rests on the importance of a multilingual channel with a
European focus, not only in terms of communication among Europeans but also in the interest of
communicating the European project and its development at world level.

It was recently reported in the press that 16 Portuguese members of staff responsible for Portuguese-
language Euronews broadcasts were about to be dismissed and that programmes would no longer be
broadcast in Portuguese. At present there is also a Portuguese version of the website www.euronews.net,
and it is to be feared that its future may likewise be in doubt.

With more than 200 million speakers, Portuguese is the sixth most widely spoken language at world level
and stands in third place among European languages used as world languages, after English and Spanish.

According to the most recent records consulted, Euronews can currently be seen in 125 million homes in
78 countries throughout the world.

Does the Commission have any information on the alleged impending dismissal of 16 Portuguese
members of the Euronews staff? Which members of staff are involved, and on what grounds are they to be
dismissed? Will the Commission take any initiative aimed at ensuring that Euronews continues to be
broadcast in Portuguese? What amounts of Community funding were received by Euronews in 2000, 2001
and 2002? Does the Commission not believe that Community funding for the Euronews channel must be
conditional on Euronews’ continuing to broadcast multilingual programmes, at least in the most widely
spoken European world languages, which must necessarily include Portuguese?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(3 January 2003)

Over the last three years, the Commission has contributed for more than EUR 4,1 million to Euronews
(EUR 2 063 933 in 2000; EUR 1 375 956 in 2001; and EUR 687 978 in 2002).

On 23 October 2001, a convention was signed by the Commission and Euronews, with the full
association of
the Parliament. Under the convention it was agreed that co-operation between the
Commission and Euronews would continue for the next three years and during this period the financing
would be gradually phased out so that co-production would have to increase.

The convention did not cover any questions related to staff, which remains an internal matter for
Euronews.

The Commission is involved in ongoing discussions about the evolving structure of Euronews. To date
Euronews has been uniquely pan-European in its coverage and the Commission would like to ensure that
this continues under the new regime, together with the use of a maximum of Union languages, including
Portuguese.