The first programmes were aired at the end of February, just in time for the Belarus elections in March. The 'Awareness Raising TV and Radio Programmes in Belarus' project was initiated to provide the Belarusian population with access to independent news and information about the EU and Belarus. The European Commission (Europe Aid Co-operation Office) has requested MEDIA CONSULTA (MC) to implement the two-year integrated media campaign with a total budget of 2 million euros. The international agency network based in Berlin manages and coordinates a media consortium consisting of the independent Russian-language international satellite TV station RTVI (uplink in Cologne) and the 'European Radio for Belarus' radio station in Poland. The new programme format is called 'Window to Europe' and it targets the general public in Belarus, especially the younger members of the population aged between 18 and 35. Famous Russian and Belarusian speaking TV and radio journalists will be reporting about current political, economic and cultural affairs in the EU, Belarus and its neighbouring countries, including news items, reports, analyses, interviews and discussions. Editorial media co-operations with independent, mostly regional Belarusian newspapers and an online platform round off the cross-media information campaign. MEDIA CONSULTA also organises seminars and workshops for Belarusian journalists. The EU has been supporting democratisation, human rights and Belarus civil society since the flawed Belarus parliamentary election in 2004. 'We hope this project will make a real difference in the Belarusian media landscape, where independent journalists are under increasing pressure," said EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. "Our aim is to reach as many Belarusian people as possible via different channels and to provide them with balanced information about Europe. We want to tell people in Belarus about everyday life in Europe, about working and studying, leisure time and cultural affairs, as well as economic and political concepts. MEDIA CONSULTA was able to win competent media end editorial partners for this purpose," explained Harald Zulauf, CEO of MEDIA CONSULTA. The initiative is supported by the Belarusian Journalists' Association and its president, Zhanna Litvina, winner of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize. Further partners include the international human rights organisation, 'Reporters without Borders', the European Institute for the Media and the European Journalism Centre. The international press agencies, Agence France Presse and dpa, support the project by providing independent regional newspapers in Belarus with access to their international news tickers. Furthermore, the German public service broadcaster ZDF contributes up-to-date TV programme content from its EU-wide correspondent network. The European Radio for Belarus programme devotes one hour every day to the 'Window to Europe' show. It is transmitted to Belarus in Russian and Belarus via medium wave, satellite, podcasting and soon via FM. RTVI broadcasts a half-hour weekly TV programme internationally via satellite and cable in Russian with Belarus sub-titles that is repeated four times a week. In Belarus, RTVI has around 500,000 viewers. Live specials will be broadcast on TV and radio before and after the elections in March. Election observers, journalists, candidates and important representatives of the worlds of culture and entertainment will be reporting on and discussing the conditions and outcome of the election. The editing and production process of the radio and TV programmes and all flanking measures are being coordinated by MEDIA CONSULTA from Berlin, supported by the MC Network of correspondents and agencies in all 25 EU Member States and the acceding states, and MEDIA CONSULTA Russia in Moscow. The agency group has extensive experience in the implementation of integrated information campaigns and the communication of political content in all EU Member States. For example, it is currently implementing a pan-European, integrated communication campaign to combat discrimination for the EU Commission. In Russia, MC is managing an information campaign about the new co-operation agreement between Russia and the EU on behalf of the Delegation of the European Commission to Russia in Moscow.