The International Press Association (API/IPA) is concerned about the shrinking presence of European media in Brussels. The number of accredited journalists has fallen again this year. API considers this an indication of the diminishing importance of Brussels for European media. This cannot be in the interest of either the European institutions or the Brussels press corps. 

The EU press room is a unique forum for developing European public opinion. If a European ‘public opinion’ is to emerge, independent quality information is essential.

The current unsatisfactory situation has been brought about partly because of the nature of communication by the EU institutions. The European Commission, in particular, gives too little background information about decision-making, only details of the finely tuned results.

In the name of greater transparency, more communication is made available via the internet, more transmissions screened on the EBS channel, and more public-relations activities organised in member states.

However, more communication does not necessarily mean more information, and could also be construed as propaganda.

This flow of institutional communication is mistakenly considered in member states as a cheap alternative to independent information from Brussels-based journalists. The reality is that, as a result, there is less informed, high-quality reporting about policies, decision-making and the background to decisions.

This is not only a matter of personal concern to journalists. The EU is a complex and often technical subject that needs professional reporting from Brussels-based correspondents, who are more familiar with both the detail and the wider picture. The increasing lack of genuine information hampers the work of Brussels journalists, and is ultimately an obstacle to transparency and understanding of the EU.

API is organising a meeting on 18 March (10am) in the Polak Room in the Résidence Palace to debate this worrying trend, and a proposal on the status of permanent EU correspondents.

From:

Lorenzo Consoli

President

Association de la Press Internationale

Brussels