After April 1st attacks by Trump and Musk, Merz, Macron, Rutte, Zelensky welcome media initiatives. Commissioners Rodrigues, Virkunnen, McGrath, Kos support them.
As Europe counters US blackmail, Euractiv expands under the rebranded MediaHouse, a ‘sovereign media group’. Partnering with others, it launches MEGA events, champions sovereign hybrid news, and boosts free readership.
Europe goes for media resilience – big time!
Elon #Musk fired off: “Eurocrats try to censor free speech? X will boycott EU media like Euractiv. Politico? Depends how they write about Tesla. It could save the world, like I save the US govt. I’ll also talk with ‘Zuck’ ”.
@realDonaldTrump raged on Truthsocial: “Media working with Eur. govrmts could be spies. They write shit about me. I will add 25% duties on subs to foreign media. POLITICO – OWNED BY GERMAN AXEL SPRINGER! – IS A FOREIGN AGENT.”
Friedrich #Merz declared hybrid war. The € 800 bn fund is not just ReArmEU, but Readiness 2030. “It’s not just about tanks—it’s about enlightening AfD voters, it’s about the soft power of Europe. Bitte zur Sache! Stolz auf Europa!”
At the AI Summit in Paris, the EU committed € 200 bn to InvestEU AI. The French AI company #Mistral joins national media, including MediaHouse’s national titles, and Euractiv. Their tools – supervised by journalists, respecting EU values – produce ‘sovereign hybrid reporting’. Emmanuel #Macron cheered: “We also call this ‘freedom news’. En plusieurs langues, surtout le français!”
EU Commission VP Henna Virkkunen leads for ‘tech sovereignty, security and democracy’. She vowed to back media innovation through InvestEU NEWS, and via a call for competitors to X, Google, Facebook & TikTok. “We in Finland know what it takes to stand up to big bears!”
Commissioners #Virkunnen, #Rodriguez, #McGrath asked their DGs CONNECT, COMP, JUST to fast-track DEMOS (Diversity in Europe: Media consolidation & Open platforms for Sound Information). #Rodriguez reflected: “Media is like an army of dwarfs facing few giant bombers: shall we wait for a Guernica disaster? ”
Partnering with top media brands – across West and East
Mark #Rutte, NATO Sec-Gen, looks forward to addressing in Amsterdam Euractiv MEGA, on hybrid warfare. This event is sponsored by military suppliers Airbus, SAP and Krauss Maffei. “Open trade between allies? Boeing & Lockheed are welcome too!”
Indeed, Euractiv launches new MEGA Summits: ‘Media and Europe Great Again’, in cooperation with top media partners. Euractiv’s own offices now embed with the same medias. René Moerland*, publisher, added: ”This next MEGA event, hosted by NRC, will also unveil our Dutch version. Eindelijk!”.
#Mediahuis decided to change its group brand, from the Dutch – difficult to pronounce – to the cross-border ‘MediaHouse’. Gert Ysebaert*, CEO, declared: ‘Our logo now includes stars, standing for Europe and for our brands. It is a home for other media: watch this space…”
The Euractiv network is expanding. After Central Europe – even before the 2004 enlargement – it will pioneer in Eastern Europe. Moerland* explained further: “ ‘Sovereign hybrid reporting’ entails translation: Euractiv will soon cover all EU countries and applicants. Becoming ‘a must’ for top EU politicians… and for legit’ campaign money!”
President #Zelenski welcomes Euractiv in Ukrainian, done with Ukraïnska Pravda, now co-funded by InvestEU NEWS. “If I have time between my world tours, I shall visit them”.
Britain joined the bandwagon too. John Ridding, #FT CEO: “With Nikkei’s blessing, we’ll host Euractiv in London. Brexit? Snubbed by the US, UK and Japan need to get closer to Europe”.
As the USA reconsiders Radio Free Europe, its journalists join the new Radio Freedom Europe. It is co-funded by Pluralis, InvestEU NEWS and philanthropy. Thomas Leyssen chairs MediaHouse, and the media fund Pluralis: “In addition, there is EU money for Radio Free America. ‘La démocratie en Amérique’: Tocqueville and Lafayette, we are back! ”.
Commissioner #Kos also unveiled ‘Free DOM’, a Brussels domicile for Russian exile media. This builds on the Maison du MédiaLab, focusing on Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia. “DOM means house in Russian. I was a journalist in Slovenia: no democracy without them!”
Brussels & Washington drift apart, Politico torn… Euractiv ahead?
A Washington insider fretted about Politico’s fate under #Trump: “How can one media be a ‘home brand’ in both Washington and Brussels? I get why people leave Politico… This ain’t a home run, man!’
A @Politico editor sighed: “Euractiv thrives on autonomous franchises—why can’t we?”
On the other hand, the Politico Washington staff strikes over MAGA editorial interference. Its board was joined by Steve #Bannon and Moritz #Doepfner (son of Axel Springer’s CEO). Döpfner is a protégé of Peter #Thiel, California billionaire, also supporting US VP Vance.
Euractiv announced partnerships with Jerusalem Post, and L’Orient-Le Jour in Beirut, El Moujahiddin in Algiers. Matthew Karnitschnig, Editor-in-Chief: “I always listen to feed-back, nicht wahr?” Following some debate in January on ‘the long list of NGOs in the alphabet soup drowning Brussels’, the former Politico Editor added: “OK, let’s cover civil society and industry federations! But focusing on large ones, in the countries”.
Free content to boost comms, subscriptions and freedom!
Euractiv is one of the few media both owned in the EU and multilingual. Claire Boussagol, MD, commented: ‘We are independent, pro-European and constructive. Let’s call this ‘European solution journalism’: countering fake news and nationalistic hate campaigns.” Hence the lifting the paywall for individuals: “More languages, more readers, more impact, more clients, more events. Euractiv Plus? Now Euractiv FREE. ”
Markus Beyrer, Director General of BusinessEurope, stated: “We gladly pay for Euractiv Pro premium content. We advocate for EU industrial policies, so it’s logical to choose products by and for Europe. Business supports the continental Zeitgeist”.
Committed to healthy aging and fun for eurocrats, Euractiv also launches the glossy monthly ‘ ‘EurVoice’ . Include the famed section ‘Entre nous’, by @GeoffMead Simon Taylor and Gareth Harding 🇺🇦.
Ricardo Gutiérrez Gutierrez, Secretary General European Federation of Journalists , declared: “When faced with fiction news or parody, if published on April 1st, don’t shoot the messenger!”
→ Your turn, dear reader: Fears? Dreams? Wild or real? Comment below? 🚀🎭
* Euractiv wrote to me that this post entails “fake news about Euractiv and Mediahuis and the fake quotes in the name of both Gert Ysebaert and [René Moerland].” I confirm. This also holds true for any other quotes and ideas about the future in that post. As was already clear from the tone, and from the publication date: April 1st, at the top and bottom of that post.