EU Council to allow bloggers at summits, but only ‘loyal’ ones

The European Union Council plans to involve bloggers and influencers in covering EU summits and ministerial meetings in Brussels. Only authors who meet established criteria will be eligible to participate in the program.

This was reported by Politico, citing recommendations sent to EU member states.

The program is scheduled to launch in July. EU member states will be able to independently nominate candidates to cover the events.

According to the document, authors who have published content that the EU considers contrary to the community’s values will not be admitted to the program. In addition, participants must not hold major or long-term commercial contracts with well-known brands, nor hold or seek political positions. Priority is planned to be given to bloggers with large audiences and experience creating political content, including content dedicated to EU affairs.

A spokesperson for the EU Council confirmed to the outlet that influencers will be accompanied by staff members. They will not, however, receive accredited journalist status and will not have access to the same working opportunities afforded to media representatives.

The initiative has already drawn criticism from the International Press Association, which unites journalists working at EU institutions. The organization believes that involving bloggers in summit coverage could negatively affect the work of professional media outlets.

Previously, the EU imposed sanctions against Russian bloggers and journalists working with RT.