Courtesy of CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is now a full Member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), following a vote earlier at the EBU’s 96th General Assembly in Prague. The move aims to formalise and deepen the long-standing relationship between Canada’s national public broadcaster and the EBU, as the alliance has claimed in a statement.

As an Associate Member of the EBU since 1950, CBC/Radio-Canada has collaborated with European public broadcasters on journalism, standards and technology, and built productive partnerships with leading EBU Members.

During the Assembly, the EBU also announced the appointment of 3Cat as an associate member, a new category that recognizes broadcasting organizations serving large autonomous language communities, and renewed the organization’s leadership for the 2027-2028 period.

Now, as a full Member, CBC/Radio-Canada has access to the entire breadth of EBU collaboration, including Member-only networks for investigative journalism, verification, digital news and data, as well as the Eurovision News Exchange and Euroradio Music Exchange services.

Noel Curran, Director General of the EBU, shares: “CBC/Radio-Canada has been part of the EBU family since our foundation in 1950. As one of the world’s leading public broadcasters, it has already contributed hugely to our Union — helping us set and uphold the standards of public service journalism that matter most right now. Full Membership means we can now do even more together: on platform accountability, on trusted news, on the resilience that public broadcasters need to build for the years ahead. Canada’s voice in this community makes us stronger”.

Marie-Philippe Bouchard, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, adds: “Thank you to the European Broadcasting Union for welcoming CBC/Radio-Canada as a full Member. This new chapter in our relationship with the EBU and its members will deepen our cooperation at a time when the collective impact of public service media is essential. It’s an important milestone that will benefit people on both sides of the Atlantic by helping to combat disinformation and support cultural expression”.

“As a full Member, we are hitting the ground running by announcing our full participation in the Eurovision News Exchange. This will allow more Canadian news and perspectives to reach audiences in Europe, and bring more international coverage to Canadians”, she continues.

Change in EBU’s bylaws

The vote to promote CBC/Radio-Canada to full Member followed a revision to the EBU’s Statutes, also approved by the General Assembly today. The revised framework opens extra-European Membership to broadcasting organizations from countries with a public service media system aligned with core Council of Europe standards and formal observer status with the Council of Europe. Canada meets both criteria.

Founded in 1936 as a radio broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada today is a multiplatform public service media company serving Canadians across six time zones in English, French, and eight Indigenous languages.

CBC/Radio-Canada’s approach to shared standards and interoperability aligns directly with the EBU’s role in technical coordination across Members. Its editorial standards have been independently validated by the Journalism Trust Initiative, and its research, co-production expertise and experience in digital rights management with major technology platforms add practical depth to what the EBU community can draw on together.

The EBU’s membership now spans 115 organizations across 57 countries.