Overview
The EUROPEAN STORY FUND is a new and innovative initiative that has been set up by The European Fund for the Balkans* to support the costs of producing stories on relevant European themes by the journalists from throughout the Western Balkans, as well as the journalists based in Brussels, reporting on WB issues. The produced stories are then shared and broadcasted by multiple media houses/TV stations from throughout the Western Balkans.
The Fund provides small grants to contribute to the additional costs of making stories for broadcasting on European issues relevant to the countries of the Western Balkans including:
How are other Candidate/applicant countries in Western Balkans managing the EU integration processes. How does the negotiation process work?
How did new EU member states manage key aspects of the EU integration process before they became members? What has it meant for ordinary citizens? What are the cost and benefits of the EU; did EU membership pay off?
How do EU member states manage issues like public administration reform, the environment, regional economic development?
The rules of the Story Fund are intended to be as flexible as possible.
The stories have to cover issues of interest to audiences in the Western Balkans on the European agenda.
There is no restriction on the content – except the basic conventions of professional journalism. Stories have to be interesting and accessible to general audience.
They can be shown on news programmes, or on current affairs/magazine programmes covering EU/foreign affairs on public or private TV stations in the Western Balkans
Background
This initiative aims to improve the public understanding of the European accession process and debate on the EU integration in the Western Balkans. It establishes a flexible co-operative network of working TV journalists from throughout the region, regarded as the best in their field that share their ideas and know how as well as join their resources in the story production and sharing process.
The initiative was initially proposed by the journalists themselves coming from different countries of the Western Balkans. It is an example of locally driven regional co-operation.
* The European Story Fund is at present co-financed by the Balkan Trust for Democracy
Main Activities
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Production of stories that improve public understanding of the European accession process and debate on the EU integration in the Western Balkans
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Exchange of material within a growing network of journalists |
Planning of joint interview bids and commissioning material from the freelance camera operators and journalists funded by the Story Fund
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Shooting and sending via FTP short statements or interviews upon request from various journalists |
Common work in requesting interviews with officials usually with less accessibility for the local media working on their own |
Macedonia: 24 February 2010: 
