 It is regarded as one of the first English language media outlets dedicated to the reporting of EU affairs, since joined by "The Brussels Times", "EURACTIV" and "Politico Europe".The website was first launched in 2000 by Lisbeth Kirk, a Danish journalist.There is much academic debate over whether "EUobserver", along with other similar publications, can be considered to be contributing to the creation of a pan-European public sphere.