The Republic of Moldova and its realities through the eyes of 12 young German journalists. Moldova and its challenges in the context of the cooperation with Germany and the European Union through the eyes of ten young Moldovan journalists. All this – on the http://www.europe-in-sight.eu/ platform, launched mid-December 2018, which is the result of a half-year project realized by Deutsche Gesellschaft e.V. from Berlin and the School of Advanced Journalism from Chisinau.

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Moldovan-German project “Europe in sight: the German-Moldovan journalist network goes online!” was conceived as a way to reflect, through the media, the most important aspects of local development policies and those of the implementation of the Association Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova. And so to stimulate the expansion of political and economic cooperation on the basis of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP).

In fact, the project aims to bring closer young journalists from the Republic of Moldova and from Germany, and to create an extra bridge between the two countries. Because, it is known, there is always room for a better cognition.

The first stage of the project took place in Chisinau on September 16-23, when the School of Advanced Journalism hosted 12 young German journalists who came to discover the Republic of Moldova. It was an overcharged week, with formal and less formal meetings, with visits to state institutions – ministries, Parliament, embassies – but also to TV stations or non-governmental organizations. The topics discussed during these meeting were equally diverse – the political and socio-economic realities of the Republic of Moldova, the European integration process and the bilateral relations with Germany, the parliamentary elections in February 2019, the brain drain and the migration phenomenon – German journalists had come well prepared to Chisinau...

The response visit to Berlin took place in November 4-11 this year. The Chisinau team included journalists already working in various editions, as well as students and graduates of the SAJ, for whom this project represented an extra chance for professional development. In Berlin, the journalists visited public authorities and NGOs, learned about the priorities of the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Germany, attended one of the most popular morning TV shows in Germany and searched for materials they wrote when they came back to their home country. Among the most frequent questions were those related to the fight against corruption, the justice reform, the development of a State law and democracy, and the promotion of a free and independent press.

Last but not least, the young journalists also focused on human stories, resulted – directly or indirectly – from Moldovan cooperation with Germany and the EU. According to Sebastian Rösner, German coordinator of the project, its success lies not only in the media products theta have been realized, but especially in the connection between the German and Moldovan journalists. “They communicated, enjoyed and helped each other in identifying the necessary subjects and sources. Even if they signed the texts individually, they worked in a team – so we can say that we have achieved our goal to create a network of journalists”, said Mr. Rösner.

All of the media realized within the project – articles, podcasts, photo galleries, video clips, interviews, reports, and success stories – were published on the editorial websites where the project participants are working. At the same time, they can be found in corpora, in English, on http://www.europe-in-sight.eu – a platform created for the first time in Moldova, with the contest of the School of Advanced Journalism, which will be used, in the future, by the SAJ students.