Decent work and quality journalism is the key to the future of media in Europe say journalists' leaders who today called for new social partnership with employers in the face of a growing crisis across the industry.

Leaders of unions from more than 30 countries in membership of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) meeting in Berlin warned that the current decline in fortunes of the European press and mainstream broadcasting will accelerate unless urgent action is taken to improve working conditions and to invest in editorial quality.

In his keynote address to the meeting Frank Werneke, Vice President of Verdi said that only a social Europe will secure the future for European media - "people are more important than the market. That's the key to building a future that we all can share."

 "The future of media depends on the provision of high standards of journalism," said Arne Konig, EFJ Chair. "Media must invest more in accurate, reliable and ethical information and to end the ferocious assault on jobs and editorial work which is undermining the heart and soul of European journalism."

The journalists are meeting at the headquarters of Verdi in Berlin to discuss how to engage with media employers across Europe to stop the decline in working conditions which is leading to a crisis of falling standards.

The EFJ has signed an agreement with Germany's second-largest publisher Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung and has agreed a programme to strengthen quality and social conditions in the nine countries where the company is active.

"We now want to see more pan-European publishers and media taking up the challenge to invest in people and quality," said Konig. "The future of the industry depends on our commitment to fresh social partnership."

The meeting opened at 2.30 pm.