The project focuses on reconnecting European citizens with trustworthy, pluralistic and accessible information about European affairs. Through a pan-European media hub, respected public and independent media organisations will collaborate on multilingual audiovisual content, social-media formats and cross-border investigations. Balkan Insight and Sinopsis will bring perspectives from Romania and the wider Balkan region, while making European issues more relevant to their audiences.
Summary
BEAM – Building and Engaging European Audiences through a Pan-European Independent Media Hub – is a two-year project implemented from March 2026 to February 2028. Coordinated by ARTE, it brings together 15 media organisations from 11 European countries to strengthen the European public sphere and improve citizens’ understanding of European policies and shared challenges.
The project responds to declining trust in traditional media, growing news avoidance and the limited accessibility of reporting on European affairs. It will provide independent and contextualised journalism in at least ten European languages, combining different national and regional perspectives and adapting content to the habits of different audiences.
Through Balkan Insight and Sinopsis, BIRN will contribute perspectives from Romania and the wider Balkan region. The two platforms will distribute and promote selected audiovisual content produced within the project, contribute to the production of short social-media videos and participate in collaborative investigations on major European political and policy issues.
Balkan Insight and Sinopsis will publish and share Europe Weekly and Weekly Shorts videos produced by ARTE, adapting their presentation and accompanying information where necessary for local audiences. BIRN will also produce POV videos presenting topics currently being discussed in Romania and the Balkan region to audiences across Europe.
BIRN will participate in Inside Europe investigations. These collaborative reporting projects will bring together journalists from different countries in a physical newsroom in Brussels to share research, data, sources and perspectives. The findings will be adapted into in-depth articles and audiovisual content for national and regional audiences.
Donor
European Commission
Main Activities
Europe Weekly and Weekly Shorts:
- Publication and distribution of Europe Weekly videos produced by ARTE through Balkan Insight and Sinopsis.
- Sharing short, social-media versions of Europe Weekly through BIRN’s social-media channels.
- Promotion of selected videos through websites, newsletters and social-media platforms.
POV – Point of View:
- Production of short, vertical videos presenting Europe through a Romanian or Balkan perspective.
- Selection of locally relevant topics that can generate discussion among audiences in other European countries.
- Participation by BIRN journalists as on-screen presenters.
- Contribution of footage, photographs and other supporting materials for video production.
- Distribution of POV videos through BIRN and partner social-media channels.
Inside Europe:
- Participation in collaborative investigations into major European political and policy issues.
- Collection and analysis of information, data and sources ahead of joint reporting sessions.
- Participation by BIRN journalists in physical investigative newsrooms in Brussels.
- Contribution of BIRN’s experience in investigative and cross-border journalism.
- Production of locally adapted, in-depth articles based on shared research.
- Publication and promotion of the investigations through Balkan Insight, Sinopsis and relevant social-media channels.
Target Groups
Citizens in Romania, the Western Balkans and across Europe, particularly:
- Existing readers of Balkan Insight and Sinopsis interested in European and regional affairs.
- Younger audiences between 18 and 34 who primarily consume news through social media and short-form video.
- Citizens who feel distant from European politics or do not regularly follow news about the European Union.
- Audiences seeking accessible explanations of complex European policies and their local impact.
- Readers interested in investigative, cross-border and in-depth journalism.
- Romanian and Balkan audiences whose perspectives are often underrepresented in wider European reporting.
Main Implementer
ARTE
Other Consortium Partners
El País, Gazeta Wyborcza, Internazionale, Ir.lv, Kathimerini, Le Soir and Telex.
Associated Partners
ARTE Deutschland – ARD and ZDF, Latvian Public Media – LPM, ORF, RTBF and RTVE.