Fed: EU chastises ABC over Brussels bureau closure

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2003
Fed: EU chastises ABC over Brussels bureau closure

CANBERRA, Dec 23 AAP - The European Union has chastised Australia's national broadcaster
for closing its bureau in Brussels.

European Commission ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Piergiorgio Mazzocchi,
said it was disappointing the ABC had decided to close its Brussels bureau last week.

In a statement, he said Australia now had no media representation in the EU's headquarters.

"There are more than 1,000 journalists accredited to the EU press room, and now not
a single one is an Australian correspondent reporting for the Australian media," he said.

"This comes at a time when the European Union, Australia's largest economic partner,
is set to undergo its greatest transformation yet: enlargement into a 25-nation entity.

"By not having a direct line to the heart of Europe through their media, the Australian
people are missing out on valuable information that would enable them to make up their
own minds when it comes to European and world events."

AAP sw/tma/de

KEYWORD: ABC

2003 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.