PRESS RELEASE published on 09 Jul 2020

EBU appoints Wouter Gekiere Head of Brussels Office

Wouter Gekiere has been appointed Head of the European Broadcasting Union’s Brussels Office. The EBU office in Brussels represents the interests of over a hundred Public Service Media organizations to the European Institutions.

Wouter is stepping up from his position as the EBU’s Head of EU Regulatory Policy, a post he held since 2018. He succeeds Nicola Frank who has moved to a new position within the EBU.

With the EBU’s Legal and Policy Team since 2009, Wouter has been working for a regulatory framework to help EBU members fulfil their public service remit and contribute to the democratic, social and cultural needs of society. Prior to the EBU, Wouter was a legal advisor at the European Parliament and has worked as a researcher at both the Institute for Information Law, Amsterdam, and the Faculty of Law of KU Leuven.

A Belgian native, Wouter has a Master’s degree in Public International Law from Melbourne Law School and from KU Leuven, Masters’ degrees in International Relations and in Law.

Richard Burnley, Legal and Policy Director, EBU, said “With EU policies on the horizon that are game-changing for Public Service Media, Wouter’s proven track record makes him the right person to lead EBU’s advocacy in Brussels. He has a deep knowledge of EU policy and politics and is recognized across EBU staff and membership as a highly motivated team player and valued leader.” 

The EBU’s EU policy priorities include: defending media pluralism and freedom; delivering the increased responsibility of online platforms; securing the integrity of media content and clear brand attribution on digital platforms; ensuring public value content is easy to access and to find; competition law reform; securing efficient and reliable media distribution and preserving the open internet. 

Noel Curran, Director General of the EBU, said “If we are to protect our proud tradition of a strong, valuable, free and independent media, we need EU policies that are fit for the future. This is even more important as we see just how vital Public Service Media is in a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m delighted to welcome Wouter to his new role. He has impressed us all enormously with his expertise on policy, his ability to unite the membership across Europe and most of all his passion for Public Service Media and all it stands for.”

 

Contact detail

Claire Rainford
Head of Corporate Communications

+44 780 294 51 78
rainford@ebu.ch
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