Battle to save Deutsche Welle reaches political level

When the absorption of Deutsche Welle (DW) announced astatine the extremity of February that it would discontinue the broadcaster’s Greek-language work by the extremity of the year, it was evidently unaware of the governmental reactions the determination would provoke. 

In an initially uncoordinated protest, galore organizations and individuals rapidly spoke retired – actors that could broadly beryllium described arsenic civilian society stakeholders successful German-Greek relations: associations of German philhellenes, Greek communities representing the sizable Hellenic diaspora, journalists, academics and galore others.

The protestation took connected a much explicitly governmental magnitude when a radical of Greek lawmakers addressed an unfastened missive to their counterparts successful the German Bundestag, warning successful stark terms of the governmental harm that ending the historical programme would inflict connected bilateral relations. “We inquire you, within your parliamentary means, to guarantee that this determination is not implemented,” the missive read. It concluded successful melodramatic tones: “The determination to discontinue the Greek programme shakes and weakens everything we person built together.”

The missive bore the signatures of members of some the Greek and Cypriot parliaments who – by coincidence – were successful Germany astatine the clip arsenic guests astatine the enactment legislature of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the German governing party. There, according to reports, a delegation led by the New Democracy lawmaker Tasos Chatzivasileiou held archetypal talks with German politicians aimed astatine redeeming the program.

A cardinal relation successful this aboriginal signifier of the run was played by the Athens bureau of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and its director, Marian Wendt, who not lone maintains adjacent ties with Greece’s governing enactment but is besides well connected successful Berlin arsenic a erstwhile subordinate of the German Bundestag. “Preserving Deutsche Welle’s Greek-language programs is of large value for German-Greek relations, which is why the Konrad Adenauer Foundation is advocating strongly for their continuation,” the instauration typical said.

Wendt did not stop astatine rhetorical appeals. He initiated an authoritative petition run aimed astatine persuading the German Bundestag to revisit the decision. The petition σύντομα became the centerpiece of the civilian society effort to sphere the service, explicitly invoking the broader governmental context: “Under nary circumstances should the content originate that Germany is erstwhile again abandoning Greece,” it stated.

That broader position appears to person been mislaid connected bureaucrats astatine Deutsche Welle office when they decided to destruct the Greek work – the lone 1 among much than 30 connection services – successful bid to prevention a fewer 100 thousand euros. According to sources acquainted with the matter, nary governmental treatment took place, fto unsocial a geostrategic appraisal oregon weighing of the implications of the restrictive decision.

Within the cloth of German-Greek relations, Deutsche Welle plays an important role. Unlike Western competitors from the United States and France – which person earned goodwill successful Greece done large arms deliveries and governmental commitments successful the discourse of Greek-Turkish relations – Berlin’s argumentation toward Greece relies mostly connected instruments of so-called soft power. State-supported institutions such arsenic the Goethe-Institutes, the German Archaeological Institute and German schools, alongside intensive economical ties, play a cardinal role. In that sense, Deutsche Welle’s Greek connection work intelligibly belongs to this category, having delivered “Made successful Germany” journalism to millions of viewers and listeners successful Greece and Cyprus for much than 60 years.

The imaginable of its closure has prompted protests astatine the highest levels. In a nationalist statement, the president of the Greek Parliament, Nikitas Kaklamanis, said the determination would “sadden us greatly.” Annita Demetriou, president of the Cypriot Parliament, expressed akin concerns, signaling her “deep worry” and warning that the closure would magnitude to “a downgrading of the authoritative connection of two member-states of the European Union.”

Earlier, the Cyprus Union of Journalists had expressed solidarity with Deutsche Welle’s Greek editorial team and urged the governments successful Athens and Nicosia to intervene. That entreaty has since translated into action. According to well-informed sources successful Berlin, the overseas ministers of Cyprus and Greece, Constantinos Kombos and George Gerapetritis, person jointly raised the contented with their German counterpart. The Greek overseas curate besides addressed the DW contented during his caller bilateral gathering with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul successful Berlin – placing it prominently connected the agenda, adjacent earlier discussions connected Greek-Turkish relations.

Germany’s overseas minister, who is grappling with acold weightier issues amid geopolitical turbulence, is said to person described the determination by Deutsche Welle’s governing bodies internally arsenic an “unnecessary burden” connected bilateral relations.

The threatened closure has already led to diplomatic irritations betwixt Berlin connected the 1 manus and Athens and Nicosia connected the other. The question present is however the determination – seemingly insufficiently vetted politically – tin beryllium corrected. The absorption is little connected Deutsche Welle’s enactment than connected members of the German Bundestag and the due committees, which tin mandate adjustments successful the discourse of fund deliberations.

In caller days, galore behind-the-scenes discussions person been taking spot successful that direction. A milestone successful the effort to sphere Deutsche Welle’s Greek work whitethorn travel with the planned visit of Wadephul to Athens successful May. The visit is besides expected to code an enactment program to elevate bilateral relations to a caller level implicit the adjacent decade. The German broadside would beryllium well advised to bash everything successful its powerfulness to guarantee that the unresolved aboriginal of Deutsche Welle’s Greek work does not spoil the temper astatine the ministerial talks.

Dr Ronald Meinardus is elder probe chap astatine the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy. He served arsenic caput of the Greek work of Deutsche Welle from 1993 to 1996.