On the edge. AMARC Europe between ‘movement entrepreneurs’ and the grassroots. Notes from the Bucharest meeting

The (re)founding conference of the European chapter of the World Association of Community Broadcasters (AMARC) took place in Bucharest, Romania, in December 2008 (http://www.amarc.org/conference_europe/index.html). About 60 community media practitioners from 18 countries in Eastern, Central and Western Europe, took part in the four-day meeting. Items on the agenda included the debate on current ‘hot issues’ such as the digital switch-over, the foundation of the European chapter of the AMARC Women’s International Network, skill-exchange workshops, a plan of action for the coming three years, and the election of a new board. The conference was crucial in fostering networking among radios, and enhanced the relationships with other players, such as the UNESCO and the news agency Inter Press Service. But should it have been more than that? This article takes a critical look at the Bucharest conference, and analyses what AMARC Europe has done so far, its potential role for community media in a pan-European continent, and the perspectives for the future.