http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/themes/profession... This UNESCO project intends to encourage, assist and accelerate media reforms in the EU candidate countries (Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey) and EU potential candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244), consolidate European standards on media accountability and self-regulation. Project focuses on two main area of interest: 1. developing the self-regulation tools and mechanisms and increasing the awareness and the valorisation of self-regulation among media professionals and organizations and, on the other hand, 2. speed up the approximation of the EU and international standards and best-practices in the field of media accountability in the targeted countries, especially in the field of audiovisual services and media legislative frameworks. This project builds on, and consolidates, the expertise in the countries and in the region, as well as puts in a regional context the pre-existent initiatives at the national level. In some countries self-regulation bodies have been established but they are largely described by media associations and organizations as either ineffective or non credible. In some other countries, workshops and studies highlighted the need for self-regulation mechanisms to be developed, but little has been done and still a wide consensus around the most effective implementation is lacking. In addition to this reference tool, UNESCO will develop supporting documentation, assist newsrooms in the targeting countries to experiment self-regulatory mechanisms, and will produce a “how-to” guide for the newsrooms interested to build their own accountability systems. The program will also facilitate the organization of two international thematic brainstorming meetings and local events in each project countries to bring together the relevant stakeholders. The project is funded by the European Commission.