EBU Members in the Western Balkans have come together to discuss future collaboration on archives.

Six public service media (PSM) organizations – from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia - met to discuss the possibility of establishing an exchange platform for PSM archives.

A central platform would provide users with a reliable, trusted point to access the archives of their own country and the surrounding region.

Preserving the cultural heritage of the region is an important but expensive task for PSM in the Western Balkans. Improving access with digitization and online platforms should facilitate and increase the use of this rich resource.

The archiving workshop in Sarajevo was organised under the EU-funded Programme of Assistance to PSM in the Western Balkans, which is being implemented by a consortium of partners including the EBU, and was led by Austrian Member ORF.

Christoph Bauer, ORF Senior Project Manager for national and international archive projects, said: “Easy access to archive content is one of the necessary prerequisites for professional and independent journalism by PSM.”