Belonging to the EBU
There are three ways of belonging to the EBU: as a Member, as an Associate and as an Approved Participant. To belong to the EBU, an applicant has to be established in a member country of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
EBU Membership is open to authorized broadcasting organizations from countries which are either within the European Broadcasting Area (as defined by the ITU) or, if their country is outside that area, are members of the Council of Europe. The EBU represents and defends the interests of its Members within all spheres and by any appropriate means. In essence, individual membership implies an obligation to provide varied and balanced programming for all sections of the population. Further, more detailed criteria are defined in the EBU Statutes under Articles 3.2 to 3.7 and the Regulation on Detailed Membership Criteria.
Associates of the EBU are broadcasting organizations or groups thereof from a member country of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) outside the European Broadcasting Area which provide a radio and/or television service with a major role in national broadcasting and whose membership is deemed useful for the EBU. The EBU, where possible, represents and defends it Associates in every domain and by any appropriate means. Further information can be found with the EBU Statutes (Article 3.14). Some Associates belong to the EBU as well as their regional sister union of the EBU.
Approved Participants are organizations which have an activity in the broadcasting field though are not necessarily broadcasters themselves, and which do not qualify to be either Members or Associates, but whose participation in EBU activities is nonetheless considered useful to the EBU (Article 4 of the EBU Statutes). Access to certain services may also be granted on a contractual basis.
To join, applicants must prove that they meet all the membership criteria, by submitting a point-by-point application on a form which is available (in English or French) from our Legal Department. Applications for membership may be submitted at any time, consultations are then held within the relevant EBU bodies. The length of the admission process depends on the schedule of the bodies' meetings as well as the completeness of the application documentation.
Annual membership fees and subscriptions are calculated according to factors that take into account the Member's relative financial status. Each new Member pays a one-off joiner's fee.