Last year's winners
The four EU-wide winners of this year's European Parliament Journalism Prize were selected from the 65 national winners by an award jury in Brussels consisting of Members of the European Parliament and journalists. The jury meetings took place on 29 and 30 September 2009, and a winner was chosen for each of the four categories.
Written press
Ines Possemeyer from Germany, with the article "Wie sich Europa erneuert" (GEO).
Assessment of the jury: the article is extremely well written. It is an outstanding, carefully composed, story about the integration of European countries into the EU and about how the enlarged Europe shapes the lives of its citizens. The article reveals the effects of the biggest EU enlargement, in 2004, by portraying the lives of a large number of people in all parts of the EU.
As one jury member put it, "awarding the Prize to this article, raises the bar for standards in European journalism".
Read the article here in German (100KB)Internet
Bálint Szlankó from Hungary, with the online article "Agyra gyúrnak a brüsszeli ravaszok" (http://origo.hu)
Assessment of the jury: the article approaches the issue of lobbying in Europe in a unique and interesting way. The message of the article is well comprehensible for the general public. Mr. Szlankó has done thorough investigative research and has perfectly explained an activity which is not easy to describe.
According to the jury, he succeeded in displaying the specific nature of lobbying the European institutions and exposed the myths which surround this sometimes controversial activity.
Radio
Zbigniew Plesner from Poland, with the programme "Do trzech razy sztuka" (Radio Szczecin).
Zbigniew Plesner from Poland, with the programme "Do trzech razy sztuka" (Radio Szczecin).
Assessment of the jury: The programme tells the drama of the workers employed in the Szczecin Shipyard and their fight to keep the shipyard open when thousands of jobs were at risk.
The jury appreciated the lively presentation of the programme, and the way the journalist succeeded in making this economically and socially sensitive issue easily accessible and understandable.
Television
Elke Sasse and Kristian Kähler from Germany, with the programme
"Wer hat Angst vor Europa? Wie die EU nach Polen kam" (Arte).
Stefan Pannen on behalf of Elke Sasse
and Kristian Kähler from Germany
Elke Sasse and Kristian Kähler from Germany, with the programme "Wer hat Angst vor Europa? Wie die EU nach Polen kam" (Arte).
Assessment of the jury: the documentary concentrates on three peasant families in Poland, after the country joined the EU, and follows them for nearly four years. It shows that EU policy has a deep effect on people's every day lives and on peasants especially.
The casting of the documentary greatly impressed the jury. The programme uses very concrete life stories to show what impact EU policies have on the people concerned, both positively and negatively. The jury praised the extraordinary quality and human character of the programme and considered it an excellent piece of TV journalism.
Watch the trailer of the programme
