SEEMO Launches an Electronic Version of its Flagship Publication South, East and Central Europe Media Handbook

The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), has launched an online version of the South, East and Central Europe Media Handbook. The online database www.mediahandbook.org contains an array of updated information on Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.

The database includes the latest political and economic developments, an overview of the media landscape, media-related legislation and press freedom issues. The ERSTE Foundation is supporting the launching of the online edition of the South, East and Central Europe Media Handbook.

The print edition of the 2010 Handbook, encompassing both the information available online as well as an exhaustive list of media contacts, was published thanks to the support of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the Vienna-based ERSTE Foundation and the Trieste-based Central European Initiative (CEI).

The SEEMO Handbook is distributed free of charge to leading libraries, schools of journalism, universities, political groups, governments, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs and media.

An annual publication since 2003, the South, East and Central Europe Media Handbook has been the major source of regional information on media. Printed in 4,000 copies and with over 2,500 pages, the 2010 Handbook includes introductory articles by Michael Spindelegger, Austria's Federal Minister for European and International Affairs; Gerhard Pfanzelter, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI); Boris Marte, member of the ERSTE Foundation board; and Erhard Busek, former Vice-Chancellor of Austria and Chairman of the European Forum Alpbach.

The SEEMO team is currently working on the 2011 Handbook edition, to be published in December 2011.

South, East and Central Europe Media Handbook can be purchased by contacting smh [at] seemo.org.