Russian-language EU-wide news channel promoted

Several journalists and media experts from the Baltics and Finland have sent a letter to the European Commission, calling for the creation of an EU financed television channel for Europe's Russian speaking audience, reports the Latvian daily Diena.

The authors of the letter point out that such a channel would offer objective information about events taking place in Europe and around the world, and would maintain European values as well as offer a good entertainment program. The channel could be called ''Golos Yevropi,'' which means ''Voice of Europe,'' and could be launched in 2015.

This would also serve to counter the mainly propagandist material, misinformation and outright lies that Russian media is typically known for.

The necessity of such a channel has become clear in wake of the events the Crimea, where Russia waged an information and propaganda war against Ukraine and the West, the letter says.

Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the Saeima European Affairs Committee Zanda Kalnina Lukasevica (Reform Party) emphasized that she support this idea. ''We have spoken about the creation of such a channel on the EU level. The fact that journalists and media experts support this initiative is very good to hear,'' she said, adding that the initiative will most likely gain support from the European Commission.