Representatives of 16 non-state press agencies have agreed to establish an alliance that would shelter independent news agencies from the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. Peter Goff of the International Press Institute (IPI) explained that the new association would be a non-profit and non-governmental alliance to support and widen cooperation regarding the exchange of programs and technology development between the region's news agencies.
The first conference of non-state press agencies was held from November 27 to November 29 in Bratislava, where representatives elected a preparatory committee to elaborate the statutes of the alliance and coordinate the activity of the new organization. Committee members are George Shabad from the Baltic News Service, Dorotha Ionescu from the Romanian Mediafax, Mikhail Tavkhelidze from Prime News Agency in Georgia and Pavol Mudry from SITA Slovakia.
