I am delighted to be here today to open this new page
of the beautiful story of Euronews.
When Euronews came to settle in the Lyon conurbation in
In May 1992, the challenge was daunting. It was to build a unique model of
European media, able to offer the world a different view on
current affairs, transcending strictly national visions, carrying
our common values.
Almost 20 years later, it is clear that what was yesterday was a gamble
a little crazy is today an exemplary success. Euronews
as the preferred international news channel of the
Europeans, who are each day more than 6 million to follow its
programs on cable, satellite or over the air. Its
international influence continues to expand and it is today
received worldwide by more than 344 million households in 155
country.
We owe this undeniable success in part to the men who
manage Euronews with talent and conviction, and I am thinking in particular of
Philippe Cayla, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and to you, dear
Michael Peters.
This success is that of a unique organization, composed of 800
of which 400 journalists, representing 25 nationalities,
working daily to broadcast the channel simultaneously in 11
languages 24 hours a day, with remarkable accuracy. This
diversity and this richness are constitutive of the European identity
of Euronews and the specificity of its offer. So I want to
tribute to these teams, with a special thought for the
Polish and Portuguese journalists who I know are worried, and
salute their tremendous commitment to the service of the chain and its
editorial policy, which gives substance to the plurality of viewpoints and our
European objectives for multilingualism.
Multilingualism is not an added burden
the multiple constraints of the European project: he is, I am convinced,
the very element of our mutual understanding, it is one of the conditions
of accommodation and accession, for all European citizens,
our common identity.
While the success of Euronews owes much to the quality of women and
men who constitute it, it is also explained by the fact that they serve
an editorial line whose consistency, clarity and clarity is
for the benefit of dense and impartial information, “pure”, for
take back your new signature, constantly looking for accuracy and
truth.
This rigour, this quality requirement, so precious at a time when the
real-time information production sometimes favors the sensational
reliability, have never prevented the company to continuously search
innovation and creation, both in terms of technology and
how the information is even presented.
I am thinking in particular of the worldwide success of the heading "No comment",
widely copied since its launch, and which offers a look if
radically different on the information I would not have been surprised to
find extracts projected on the walls of the Sucrière on the occasion of the
contemporary art biennial 2011.
This association of ideas is not innocent as Euronews is
deeply rooted in the city that saw him born. The fidelity of the
channel to the city of Lyon reflects the strength of this link and commitment
the Rhône-Alpes Region and Greater Lyon at his side.
In these times of global economic difficulties, unfortunately
The presence of Euronews on French soil, which is conducive to withdrawal, is a
the European idea. Result of the work
21 public channels, it demonstrates through its success the
relevance of a collaborative, space-scale model
European, national public services.
In this capacity, dear Jean-Jacques Queyranne, dear Gérard Collomb,
recognize the joint efforts of your two communities to ensure that the
channel remains in France and continues its development in Lyon. I
I am pleased that this commitment will soon be reflected in
the entry of the Rhône-Alpes Region and Greater Lyon to the capital
of Euronews.
In this context, it was therefore logical for the chain to be installed at the heart
even of the city and especially in the Confluence district,
one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in Europe, which
the economic, social and cultural dynamism of the city of Lyon
and the Rhône-Alpes region.
Near the new Hotel de la Région designed by Christian de
Portzamparc and the headquarters of Progress, Euronews will soon have a
building of about 10,000 m², designed by architects Jakob &
MacFarlane, whose radically modern and open design symbolizes
both the European identity of the chain and its
development. I take this opportunity to commend the various institutions that
participate in this real estate project and without which he could not see the
day: the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, the
France and the Cardinal Group.
Let’s bet that this new case will help to extend the influence of the
channel in Europe and around the world, between Rhône and Saône. Euronews,
this Babel clock, where continuous information never sacrifices the
quality on the altar of immediacy, there is, I am sure, a very bright future.
Thank you.