European cohesion funds, the focus of journalists connected through the PressHub umbrella

Freedom House Romania announces the launch of a new project under the umbrella of PressHub.ro, the largest local press network in the country, supported by journalists from the local press, but also by important publications from the central press.

It is a large and well-structured informational project concerning the measures of the European cohesion policy, a project that will remain known as COHESION BOOSTER IN ROMANIA – CLOSER TO CITIZENS, funded by the European Commission, through  DG Regio .

Gathered in a unique virtual newsroom, the first of its kind in Romania, journalists from all over the country will work together to provide support to the population in understanding the cohesion policies of the European Union.

„European funds are often the engine of development in a country that needs major investment to reduce the gap with the western EU. As journalists, however, we are used to seeing both sides of the coin. This is what happened in the previous project, we will do the same now: we are looking for examples of good practices, but we are also documenting the theft of the community citizen’s money. We will present the cases of institutions or companies that, with European help, have developed projects that have changed the lives of communities and brought added value to the economy. On the other hand, where we have indications that EU funds have been wasted or, worse, embezzled, we will dig until we reach the real beneficiaries. „

Cristian Pantazi, editor-in-chief of G4Media

„Most EU-funded projects are carried out in the province, and most of the time the information we have about them is just electoral statements. The local press does not have the resources to ask simple questions: do these projects meet the real needs of the community? Has the funding been spent in a transparent and justified manner? What are the system issues, and how can the rules be changed for the better? In this project, we aim to find answers to these questions. „

Zoltán Sipos, Editor-in-Chief Átlátszó Erdély (Transparent Transylvania)

At the end of the project, journalists will be able to take stock of over 100 investigations, reports and interviews related to the way European money is spent in Romania.

During the project, they will participate in a one-day conference, which will bring together beneficiaries and public authorities, thus having the opportunity to discuss how European cohesion funds are implemented and what changes they have produced. , in concrete terms, in all regions of the country. Moreover, they will also receive training on how to obtain information from public authorities on how European money has been or is being spent.

The virtual editorial office will publish the articles on the www.PressHub.ro platform and in the partner publications.

Our partners are:

G4Media.ro  is an independent site for investigations, analyzes and news edited by  the Group 4 Media Freedom and Democracy Association . Founded in 2018, the G4Media.ro website quickly established itself as a source of credible and relevant information in the media landscape.

Viața Libera is the largest local daily newspaper in Galați, printed without interruption since 1989.

Átlátszó Erdély (Transparent Transylvania)  is the only Hungarian-language publication that conducts journalistic investigations. Headquartered in Cluj-Napoca, the online publication addresses an audience of 1.2 million Hungarians in Transylvania.

Ziarul de Iași , the market leader in Iași County, the first local newspaper audited BRAT, the online version is the most visited local platform in Romania, according to SATI.

PressHub, an innovative and independent press network created by Freedom House Romania, is a quality journalism platform, with publications from the central and local press whose members choose to put themselves in the public service, promoting excellence in journalism.

PressHub partner publications:  Express de Banat  (Caraș-Severin, Timiș),  Mesagerul de Sibiu  (Sibiu), Monitorul de Cluj (Cluj),  Alba24.ro  (Alba, Cluj, Hunedoara, Maramureș, Sibiu, Timiș),  Gazeta de Dimineață  ( Hunedoara),  Argeșul Online  (Argeș),  Epoch Times Romania  (national),  Monitorul de Botoșani  (Botoșani),  Oradea Press  (Bihor),  eBihoreanul  (Bihor),  Átlátszó Erdély  (Harghita, Covasna, Cluj, Bihor, Satu Mare, Mureș) ,  Revista 22 , Zi de Zi (Mureș),  Arad24.net  (Arad),  Banatul Azi (Timiș, Arad, Caraș-Severin),  inRoman.ro  (Neamț),  Resita.ro  (Caraș-Severin),  Free in Teleorman  (Teleorman),  Info Sud-Est  (Tulcea, Constanța), Jurnalul de Argeș (Argeș), Crișana (Bihor),  Transilvania Reporter  (Bistrița-Năsăud, Cluj, Bihor, Satu Mare, Maramureș, Sălaj),  Transylvania News ,  Gazeta de Sud  (Dolj, Vâlcea, Gorj, Mehedinți, Olt),  Free Life  (Galați),  Ziarul of Iași  (Iași),  Vrancea24  (Vrancea),  Reporter Iași  (Iași).