On my last RIAS exchange in 2001 the "United States of Europe" was still a realatively new political entity. On this trip, a full day of meetings was devoted to the workings of the EU and its endless array of commissions and councils.
The EU issues directives and it is up to the member countries to pass the required laws, which is a problem when some countries don't want to go along. Americans, accustomed to a union with a single currency and federal laws, have trouble grasping the fact that the Eurozone is a different set of countries who are financially qualified to use the euro, and for immigration and trade purposes the so-called Schengen group is yet a different list.
The recent financial problems of Greece, and the resulting "bailout" have presented challenges for the EU's response to the world financial crisis. Former communist countries like Romania and Bulgaria have been admitted as members but haven't lived up to expectations for ending government corruption. Bulgaria did such a bad job of accounting for EU development money that the funds had to be returned. Romania is sitting on 23 Billion development euros to build badly needed roads, but doesn't have the "financial capacity" to spend it properly. All of this has the EU slowing down on the admission of new members. All member nations must agree to admit a new country, and Turkey's prospects seem dim because tiny Cyprus will never approve.
EU offiicials shared some fascinating observations, but agreed to talk only "off the record," which made their comments of limited use to a bunch of journalists. In fact, the full day of lilting European accents made it a challenge for some of us to stay awake!
We attended the official press briefing, which was on the record, and dealt with such topics as Belgian sewerage treatment and an EU court ruling on a libel suit against an Albananian TV channel which reported on the alleged sexual misconduct of a public official. As a media trainer I have learned that libel suits are a way for authoritarian governments to put investigative news organizations out of business. The EU can't do much about it, except to point out that freedom of the press is a requirement for membership.
The final night of the RIAS exchange calls for celebration with group members who become like family during the two week adventure. The very friendly restaurant owner went out of his way to congratulate me on my certificate of completing the program. And it was one last chance to sample the seasonal delicacy, albino asparagus.
But most of all, it was one last toast to the whole group. We represented different media outlets and different age groups, but each individual brought his or her own flavor to the entire RIAS experience. Whenever I urge other American broadcasters to apply for this two-week all-expense-paid adventure in Germany and Belgium, they look at me in disbelief. It sounds too good to be true. Trust me, the only "string" attached is a short essay that each participant is required to write after completing the program. And, of course, RIAS hopes that American participants will use what they have learned to do a better job of reporting on Germany and the EU.
If you are a US radio or TV broadcaster and would like to apply for a RIAS fellowship, go to this link: http://www.rtdna.org/pages/media_items/germanamerican-journalists-exchange-program546.php?id=546
