Prague, Czech Republic (August 24-26, 2006)

Covering European Accession and Economic Affairs

TOL Magazine and the Initiative for Policy Dialogue offered a three-day workshop to Eastern European journalists. Participants learned about the economic implications of EU accession and how to cover basic business and economic stories. The workshop meant to give basic knowledge on these topics to help journalists report and write insightful stories. Speakers included international reporter Anya Schiffrin, European Union economist Reinhilde Veugelers, and former New York Times Prague stringer Peter Green.

A seminar for journalists organized by the Initiative for Policy Dialogue and Transitions Online with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Open Society Institute.

The advantages to joining the European Union are enormous, but the accession process requires EU hopefuls to make dramatic economic and political reforms. These reforms will have wide-ranging implications for member countries. In order for journalists to cover this subject they need to understand the big picture and they also need to be familiar with the workings of the Brussels bureaucracy.

This special seminar is aimed at helping sharpen the coverage of TOL reporters in the months to come. Journalists from Southeast Europe – Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania – will gather in Prague for three days to broaden their knowledge of the economics and politics of the European accession process.

Scholars, policy makers and senior journalists will share their insights on a range of topics, including the economics of enlargement, experiences of the new member states, trade liberalization in SEE, how to navigate the European Council and Commission, how lobbies work, the potential for corruption in the accession process, and how to come to grips with EU jargon.