Ivan Camilleri, Brussels
European Parliament launches €9 million web TV
The European Parliament yesterday was full of activity as journalists and media personalities from all over the EU gathered to assist in the official launch of EuroparlTV, a new web-based TV channel of the European Parliament.
The new service was launched in the run up to June's European elections across the 27 member states, which will elect MEPs for a new legislature.
The web TV, a first of its kind for the EU institutions, is expected to cost €9 million a year in running costs, particularly due to the 20 different languages in which it is broadcasting.
Maltese is also available with Maltese staff employed on a full-time basis in Brussels to do translation and dubbing work connected with the Maltese language TV channel.
The president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering, who inaugurated the service during a colourful and animated ceremony, said that EuroparlTV should be an excellent internet tool for citizens, especially young people, to keep themselves informed about the activities and decisions of the directly-elected European Parliament. Such activities and decisions have an impact on the everyday lives of almost 500 million European Union citizens.
The channel, which can be accessed by everyone who has a broadband internet connection, will offer various programmes including features aimed at those with a particular interest in politics at the EU level, information addressed to schools and live debates and coverage of the plenary sessions of the EP from Brussels and Strasbourg.
EuroparlTV can be accessed at: www.europarltv.europa.eu.
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In Discussion
11 Comments
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Pierre Agius
Sep 19th 2008, 09:38
What a waste of money! Not worth 1 Ero cent. This is a stupid public relations effort by the EP to gain more attention and compete with other European institutions. This is not visibility but money squandering eroding faster and further the public credibility of the EP. Way to go Europe!!
Charles Sammut
Sep 18th 2008, 22:49
@ Franco Farrugia
If you believe half of what is said in those videos, the I can safely assume that you also believe in Santa Claus and that babies are delivered by storks.
@ Maria Fersti
Maltese was added as an official EU language to serve as as sop to those gullible enough not to realise what they had let themselves in for. Little things please little minds.
In practice I don't think that anybody bothers to read EU documents in Maltese. Total waste of time and money paid for from our taxes. And why would one stand up in the EU parliament and speak in Maltese which nobody understands, when you can speak in English and be understood immediately by most members?
But it goes down well with the couch potatoes at home. "Isimaw, qid jitheddid bil-Multi! Qid tura kemm jistmawnha?" And couch potatoes still have votes in spite of their room temperature IQ.
Franco Farrugia
Sep 18th 2008, 16:06
This service is not a mere waste of money, but should be seen as yet another means of providing all European citizens with the power of knowing what is being said, decided, thought, reflected upon, discussed, on their behalf.
In other words, this service is a means of furthering and improving the democracy within the European Union, something to which we do not even have access here, at a national level.
We do not, easily, enter Parliament daily or at will, to listen in to the proceedings going on in the House of Representatives - our Representatives! We rarely get to know as to who does not attend, who does not participate, who makes speeches and how, etc...
On the contrary, at the European Parliament, every citizen within the EU, you and I, can VERY EASILY web into the EP's and other committees' proceedings. I think this is a useful thing.
Not only that: but we can also listen to, and read about, the proceedings in our mother language, thanks to interpreters and translators! But obviously, if and when these are available.
I think this is a marvellous step in the right direction.
Luke Gatt
Sep 18th 2008, 15:39
Yes yes i will be paying 100,000 euro a year from my own pockets to run this TV like my fellow Maltese!!!!! come on be realistic 9 million euro between 27 is a pittance. TVM used to loose more money then that per year!!!!
The usual bla bla by the the Go away EU guys.
Maria Ferstl
Sep 18th 2008, 14:56
@Charles Sammut
You can enter via another language and then switch to Maltese, though.
And there are definitely videos subtitled or dubbed in Maltese. (No idea now many.)
C Cassar
Sep 18th 2008, 13:51
Joseph Galea: No I haven't, but it's simply not the point in my opinion. If taxpayers' money is being wasted, you can never justify it by saying that per capita the sum involved is insignificant. That would give free licence to anybody in charge of public funds to indulge themselves, and the total effect would be anything but insignificant.
You see a benefit to EU citizens. I see none that justifies €9m per year. For the time being we have to agree to disagree. Viewership data in a year or so might help to settle the issue - assuming that the website can be made to work properly, which it is not doing at the moment.
l Galea
Sep 18th 2008, 12:46
More money from our taxes down the drain for Goebbels propaganda by an eu institution which, as the elections results clearly show, is not popular with the citizens and is continuously losing appeal with the people.
Charles sammut
Sep 18th 2008, 12:46
Europarltv will be as credible as Net TV and Super One are locally!
If you click on the "Malti" button you get a message "An error occured."
At least they're honest about it.
Joseph Galea
Sep 18th 2008, 12:37
Mr. Cassar, before you complain about the expense, have you bothered to sit down and check how much of the €9 million a year represents on a per capita basis throughout the EU and balance this against the benefit that EU citizens might derive from this? I haven't, so cannot comment scientifically - but prima facie, from a cost-benefit analysis point of view, this sounds like a very good deal.
C Cassar
Sep 18th 2008, 11:23
€9 million a year? That's our tax money too ... and I'm far from sure this is a wise way to spend it.
Victoria Galea
Sep 18th 2008, 09:59
I followed the opening and although it was available in every other language, unfortunately there was no Maltese language commentary on the Maltese language page for the opening. And should anyone care, they should eliminate the gross typos in the Maltese page.