Brussels, 26-27 Jan. / JMECE Lab at the 2009 Parliamentary Elections Event «

Ready and TH!NKing ABOUT IT

The JMECE Lab will be in Brussels on 26 January to kick off the first Europe-wide blogging competition!

A dynamic community of bloggers, journalists and journalism students; a forum alive with debate and discussion; a creative portal to inspire youth involvement with the 2009 Parliamentary Elections - brought to you by the European Journalism Centre (EJC).

Travelling from every member state of the European Union, 81 bloggers will come together in Brussels on 26 January to kick off the first Europe-wide blogging competition, TH!NK ABOUT IT. The two-day launch event kicks off a blogging competition running until the European Parliamentary Elections in June.

TH!NK ABOUT IT will host bloggers from each EU member state in a a forum alive with debate and discussion – a dynamic online community of bloggers, journalists and journalism students sharing their thoughts on the EU and the upcoming European elections.

The bloggers, all individually invited and registered, are asked to cover, report, critique and debate on campaign issues and candidates. The goal is to get Europeans to TH!NK ABOUT IT and to express their views on Europe.

At the kickoff, invitees are briefed on the European blogsphere, European Parliament, elections and on understanding the EU from a journalist’s perspective. Between 4 and 7 June 2009, citizens of the European Union will be called upon to elect, for the seventh time, their representatives to the European Parliament, which will at that time be celebrating thirty years of election by direct universal suffrage.

This briefing will offer journalists from the EU 27 Member States access to in-depth information as well as opportunities to meet and exchange words with key players concerning the challenges related to the lack of identification, political debate and effective European leadership. The programme will also provide a comprehensive overview on the development of the campaign throughout Europe in the first semester of 2009 and the fundamental role political parties and the mass media played. The two-day event in Brussels will additionally be tailored as a useful platform for networking and creating contacts with EU officials, lobbyists, researchers and other stakeholders.

Useful Link about Euro-elections:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2009/default.htm?language=EN