Economy

EU Reporter welcomes Politico

Published

11 years ago

March 19, 2015

The European arm of Politico will go live online on 21 April with more than 40 journalists spread across the continent as the US media outlet aims to fulfil its ambitions to become “the dominant politics and policy publication in Europe”. Colin Stevens, publisher of EU Reporter, said: "We welcome healthy competition, and wish Politico well. However, it would be a mistake for Politico to think that by buying European Voice they will dominate the Brussels media."

“I am an admirer of EU Reporter, the FT, the Economist and the international edition of the New York Times. We are going to compete on the equal footing right from the get-go,” Politico co-founder and editor-in-chief John Harris said.

“The expansion that we are making in Europe, it’s really by far the biggest project on our plate. I don’t imagine a year from now we could be dominant, [but] we’re certainly going to be a major player in that European conversation.”

As well as rolling out a website, paid digital subscription services and events, Politico will launch a print edition on 23 April, distributing between 25,000 and 30,000 copies in Brussels, and at political and transport hubs in other major European centres such as London, Paris and Berlin.

Harris said the firm’s investment in the project was a “substantial, seven-figure commitment”. But EU Reporter Publisher Stevens added: "This is nothing new. Politico is only following what EU Reporter already does. The litmus test will be if they give independent coverage of EU news and current affairs without a 'Washington spin' on stories."

European Voice owner and publisher Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson is staying with the company as managing director in charge of commercial operations for the European operation. The first big name attached to the project was Die Welt EU correspondent Florian Eder, who is managing editor. Founded in 2006, Politico has built its business by focusing on the US political elite in Washington, where it also prints a newspaper.

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