The EU-funded project MAITRE travels on May 22-23 to Athens to organise a media training seminar at the Federation of Hellenic Food Industries.

This workshop is open to food and nutrition scientists and researchers working for this body and other nearby organisations involved in food science research.

In a two-day hands-on training, participants will have the opportunity to learn how to increase the impact of their research through media, exercise interview techniques and TV statements, learn the do’s and don’ts, as well as they will get the inside knowledge of the print broadcast and online media.

The overall objective of the workshop is to transfer the knowledge and experience of journalists to researchers, in order for the scientific community to better communicate their findings and technical information to the general public.

The training will help researchers to express themselves in an eloquent and yet practical way when dealing with the media.

Ultimately, the MAITRE project aims to contribute to the promotion of food research knowledge in Europe.

For further information, please visit www.maitreproject.eu or contact Cristina Romero at romero@ejc.net

With 2015 fast approaching, the global discussion is shifting to new targets and goals for education in fragile states. So, what direction is the EU planning to take?

This question and the subject of international education goals and development will soon be the focus of talks and debates in the EU’s capital.

Together, the European Journalism Centre and the European Commission’s DG Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid are organising a two-day seminar in Brussels, 23 – 24 May, 2013 to highlight these issues head-on.

The seminar will put selected journalists from the EU-27 Member States in the same room with government leaders, international organisations, and members of academia who will present new ideas and take part in engaging debates and panel discussions.

Day one of the seminar will be centered around the EU High Level Conference on Education and Development, an event featuring the likes of Androula Vassiliou, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education, among many others, including Kristina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, to address the future of education and development.

Journalists will also have the opportunity to attend a press conference with Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development, and Member of the UNSG High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, where he will be available to answer the media’s questions.

The second day will allow development experts to debate the issues. The journalists will also hear stories from the field, a chance to learn from both the policy makers, and the people who turn policy into reality.

The organisers will cover travel, accommodation and most meals. For more information, please contact Cara Moore at moore@ejc.net.

Specialised reporters, with a proven track record in publishing articles and producing stories about development and education, will be given priority.

Scientists often may not sufficiently involve themselves in the communication process; whereas on the other hand, the media do not always give them the opportunity to do so.

Keeping that in mind, the EU-funded project MAITRE is organising a media training at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale in Paris.

Scientists involved in food research from this organisation and other research centres and universities nearby are invited to join the workshop.

In a two-day hands-on seminar, participants will have the opportunity to learn how to increase the impact of their research through media, exercise interview techniques and TV statements, learn the do’s and don’ts, as well as they will get the inside knowledge of the print broadcast and online media.

The overall objective of the workshop is to transfer the knowledge and experience of journalists to researchers, in order for the scientific community to better communicate their findings and technical information to the general public.

The training will help researchers to express themselves in an eloquent and yet practical way when dealing with the media.

Ultimately, the MAITRE project aims to contribute to the promotion of food research knowledge in Europe.

For further information, please visit www.maitreproject.eu or contact Cristina Romero at romero@ejc.net

As one of the most prestigious competitions of its kind, the European Inventor Award each year pays tribute to the creativity of inventors, whose quest for new ideas drives technological progress and economic growth, shapes our society and improves our daily lives. The award not only gives inventors the recognition they deserve, it also encourages future innovation.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the European Patent Convention from which the European Patent Office (EPO) was born. The event, which takes place in Amsterdam, will feature a prestigious award ceremony and bring together some of the world’s brightest innovators, along with key decision makers in business, politics, media and the sciences.

On this occasion, the EPO and the European Journalism Centre are pleased to invite 30 media professionals to cover this year’s award ceremony and to attend a press event organised alongside of the European Inventor Awards. The press trip will take place in Amsterdam on 27 and 28 May 2013.

The programme will include a panel discussion on "Promoting innovation to enhance Europe’s competitiveness" with Philips and the EPO and an in-depth session on the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court. The agenda will also consist of company visits to some of the most innovative Dutch technological sites, a networking cocktail with this year’s award nominees, European industry and national representatives and a seat at the award ceremony.

The journalists will also have the exclusive opportunity to attend a press conference with Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, Benoît Battistelli, President, European Patent Office and Sander Dekker, State Secretary, Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Please note that specialised reporters covering technology, industry and innovation will be given priority.

The organisers will cover the travel and accommodation costs. Participants are expected to arrive in Amsterdam on 26 May. Departure time is planned for 28 May in the late afternoon.

If you are interested to attend the event, please register online and include a short letter of motivation.

For more information, please contact EJC Project Manager, Ms Biba Klomp (klomp@ejc.net).

In the time of crisis, the strategic focus on sustainability and green innovation plays a crucial role in staying at the forefront of global competition. Through the Eco-Innovation initiative managed by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), a significant contribution has been made to improve water usage efficiency, reduce (non-) hazardous/ radioactive waste, and lower green house emissions, adding up the annual environmental savings of 833 million EUR in total. While the initiative has shown the success from giving financial supports to SMEs' eco-innovation projects, more could be done to explore the unexploited resources in order to provide more employment opportunities, resource efficiency and waste reduction. A new report, which assesses the results of Competitiveness and Innovation Frame Programme (CIP) Eco-Innovation will be released at the end of May to outline the next step ahead.

On 30-31 May 2013, a group of 15 journalists (EU, Croatia, Norway) who cover environment and/or business are invited to attend a two-day seminar in Brussels that will feature the main findings and success stories of the CIP Eco-Innovation initiative. Invited journalists will have an opportunity to attend an exclusive meeting with Janez Potočnik, Commissioner for Environment, discuss with MEPs and entrepreneurs, and get insights on how to use the EC's environmental data and resources.

The seminar will be held from 30-31 May 2013 in Brussels. Please note that participants are expected to arrive on 29 May. Departure time is planned for 1 June. Travel and accommodation will be covered by the organisers.

For more information, please contact Lisa Bushart at bushart@ejc.net.

This seminar will be held with financial and organisational support from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment.

Do scientists know how to engage themselves in the communication process in a proper way?. If not, do the media always give them the opportunity to do so?

Keeping those questions in the background, the EU-funded project MAITRE is organising a media training seminar at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart (Germany) on June 4-5.

In a two-day hands-on seminar, participants will have the opportunity to learn how to increase the impact of their research through media, exercise interview techniques and TV statements, learn the do’s and don’ts, as well as they will get the inside knowledge of the print broadcast and online media.

The overall objective of the workshop is to transfer the knowledge and experience of journalists to researchers, in order for the scientific community to better communicate their findings and technical information to the general public.

The training will help researchers to express themselves in an eloquent and yet practical way when dealing with the media.

Ultimately, the MAITRE project aims to contribute to the promotion of food research knowledge in Europe.

For further information, please visit www.maitreproject.eu or contact Cristina Romero at romero@ejc.net

In the two years since the Arab Spring shifted the South-Mediterranean political landscape, how has the EU influenced events and affected the relationship with its southern neighbours? What role must the EU play going forward?

These questions and many others will be addressed during a three-day seminar in Brussels, 4–6 June, organised by the European Parliament’s press service, together with the European Commission and the European Journalism Centre.

55 selected journalists from the South-Mediterranean region will be invited to join a group of up to 70 European journalists and attend a full slate of debates that will raise important issues and provide access to key European stakeholders.

The first will look at the EU’s political response to events in the Mediterranean, followed by an examination of the media’s prominence during the revolution, and finally a focus on the role women played in shaping the events of the last two years.

In addition to the EP’s programme, the EC and the EJC will hold panel discussions on the differences of European and Arabic media coverage of the Arab Spring, including citizen journalism, and also the subject of social media, and its perceived influence on the Arab Spring.

Journalists will have the opportunity for an exclusive Q&A session with Bernardino León, EU Special Representative of the Southern Mediterranean region.

The organisers will cover travel, accommodation and most meals. For more information, please contact Cara Moore at moore@ejc.net.

Reporters covering political and social affairs in the region will be given priority.

Where are we with industrial renaissance in Europe? Can Europe still have an industrial revolution?

40 journalists from EU-27 and Croatia are invited to Brussels on the 5th of June to discuss the new industrial policy that can bring growth back to Europe. There will be an exclusive opportunity to have a private interview with European Commission Vice President Tajani.

On the 6th of June, journalists are able to take part in the “European Industrial Policy: A Partnership for Growth" conference. This event offers media the chance to join EU leaders (European Commission President Barroso, European Commission Vice President Tajani, industry ministers and leading EU business leaders) in an open debate about the future of industry. More information here: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=6582&lang=en&title=Where-are-we-with-industrial-renaissance-in-Europe

The seminar is organised by the European Journalism Centre in cooperation with the European Commission's Directorate-General Enterprise and Industry. The European Commission will cover the flights, accommodation and meals.

Interested journalists can submit their applications online.

For questions, please contact Malou Oldenhof at oldenhof@ejc.net

Today more than ever, the future of the EU's Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is at the heart of the debate. While exiting the debt crisis and reinforcing competitiveness remain the key priorities, wider challenges need to be addressed.
How to secure the competitiveness of Europe in the global economic environment? What is the genuine EMU model for the future and how to get there? What about banking, fiscal and economic union as part of the road map?
The Brussels Economic Forum (BEF) is the annual gathering of economic decision makers, legislators and opinion leaders in which current economic issues are tackled through high-level and substantive debate. It is an inspiring event that shouldn’t be missed.

This year’s high-level speakers include:
José Manuel BARROSO, President of the European Commission
Olli REHN, European Vice-President and Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro
Pascal LAMY, WTO Director-General who will deliver the 3rd Annual Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa Lecture in honour of one of the founding fathers of EMU and the euro
Enda KENNY, Prime Minister of Ireland
Erkki LIIKANEN, Governor of the Bank of Finland
Sharon BOWLES, Member of European Parliament, Chair of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee
Martin JAHN, President of the Czech Automotive Industry Association

On this occasion, the European Journalism Centre and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs are pleased to invite 18 journalists from the EU27 specialised in economic and financial affairs to cover this year’s Economic Forum and to attend a background briefing organised alongside of the BEF.

The event will feature panel discussions as well as on and off the record talks with senior members of the EU institutions (including the EU Commission and the EU Parliament) as well as experts from the NGO, think tank and academic communities in Brussels. The discussions will be lively, informal and should significantly help those attending to get an inside look at where the EU economy and currency is and what future predictions are being made about it.

The seminar will be held from 18-19 June 2013 in Brussels.
Participants are expected to arrive on 17 June (evening). Departure time is planned for 20 June (morning).

The organisers will cover travel, and accommodation.

For more information, please contact Lisa Bushart at bushart@ejc.net.

This seminar is organised with financial and organisational support from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs.

It often seems to the public that food studies - how they are conducted and reported on - can generate a great deal of debate and misconceptions. Aren't food scientists sufficiently involved in the communication process?; do the media allow them to in a proper way?

On June 20-21, the EU-funded project MAITRE will organise a media training at the The Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO) in Merelbeke (Belgium).

In a two-day hands-on workshop, participants will have the opportunity to learn how to increase the impact of their research through media, exercise interview techniques and TV statements, learn the do’s and don’ts, as well as they will get the inside knowledge of the print broadcast and online media.

The overall objective of the workshop is to transfer the knowledge and experience of journalists to researchers, in order for the scientific community to better communicate their findings and technical information to the general public.

The training will help researchers to express themselves in an eloquent and yet practical way when dealing with the media.

Ultimately, MAITRE seeks to tackle the science-media relationship and to contribute to a better understanding of food research.

For further information, please visit www.maitreproject.eu or contact Cristina Romero at romero@ejc.net

The European Journalism Centre, in collaboration with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Enlargement, invites 15 young reporters from the candidate countries to join the EU to participate in the seminar "Introduction to the EU institutions, policies and enlargement process", which will take place in Brussels on 27-28 June.

The event is exclusively catered for journalists coming from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. The final selection of the candidates will be done by the Delegations of the European Union to the aforementioned countries.

With Croatia becoming the 28th EU member country on 1 July 2013, this event will be an appropriate platform to give an insight to the EU institutions and to caliber the state of play of the EU enlargement process, as well as its challenges ahead. Among others, this media briefing will try to shed some light on questions like: is the EU enlargement process losing momentum against the backdrop of the economic crisis; is the EU using the conditionality to keep the potential new entrants out?; will Croatia's accession to the EU help bring stability to the Balkans?

The seminar foresees to gather guests speakers from the EU institutions, Brussels-based think-tanks and other organisations relevant to these topics.

Travel, accommodation and some of the meals will be covered by the organisers.

For more information, please contact Clara Maxwell on maxwell@ejc.net.

This seminar will be held with financial and organisational support of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement.