The Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement in cooperation with the European Youth Press association launched today a pan-European competition for young journalists from all over Europe.  The objective of the competition is to encourage young journalists to reflect and express their views on the European Union’s enlargement policy.

Young journalists aged 17-27 from all the EU member states as well as from candidate and potential candidate countries (Western Balkans and Turkey) are invited to submit to the competition a recently published article on EU enlargement (publication date between January 2007 and 15 March 2008).

On the occasion of the launch of the competition, which will run from 15 November 2007 to 15 March 2008, Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said: “I welcome the launch of this competition and look forward to learning more about the views of young journalists on the enlargement policy. They are important opinion-leaders for their generation. I would like to invite them to share their experiences and visions of our common European future. Their ideas will further nourish the debates that will determine the shape of our continent.”

The participants can enter the competition on a special website www.EUjournalist-award.eu. There, they can also read articles on the EU’s enlargement policy and find interesting tips for a career in journalism. At the end of the competition in April 2008, national juries made up of media representatives will select a winning article for each country and these articles will be published on the competition website. All 35 winners will be invited on a joint trip through Balkan countries and will have the opportunity to participate in a closing conference with media representatives from various countries in June 2008.

For more information, please contact:

Delegation of the European Commission to BiH

Press Office, 033/254 700