Media advisory – European Council of 24 and 25 June 2021

We are working to ensure a gradual, smooth and safe re-opening for the media to our Council premises.

In order to comply with COVID-19 safety measures in place, a limited number of media representatives will be allowed on site to cover the European Council of 24-25 June in person, in accordance with the physical space available and current social distancing rules1. The press conferences held in the Justus Lipsius Press Room will be run in hybrid mode and questions will be taken from the room and from journalists connected remotely.

Registration

Media representatives wishing to cover the meeting in person are required to express their interest via the online form on Council website.

  • The deadline to register is Monday 21 June 2021, 18:00.

Media representatives are strongly advised to apply as soon as possible to allow for sufficient time to process the requests.

Accreditation

Should the number of requests exceed 70, the Council press centre will proceed with a selection of the media representatives accredited to be present physically on-site. After discussion with API-IPA, the selection will be made by applying the following three criteria in sequence until maximum capacity is reached (priority will be given to journalists holding a European Council annual badge2):

  • Representation of all EU 27 member states
  • Brussels-based main international media and agencies
  • A random selection of European Council accredited journalists

We believe that such a model will ensure a good balance of having all member states represented, a wide coverage through big agencies and media outlets, as well as allow for a significant number of totally randomly selected Brussels-accredited journalists.

The doorstep area in the Europa Building will be accessible only to a specific media pool, due to the constraints imposed by the available space and the respect of the social distancing rules. In order to maximise opportunities for journalists, priority for accessing the doorsteps will be given to reporters (i.e. journalists asking questions) without an accompanying camera or technical teams. Host camera and sound services will be available in the area.

Media representatives that will be accredited will receive a confirmation e-mail by Tuesday 22 June at 19:00. In order to make the best use of the capacity available, please inform the press centre immediately should you finally decide not to attend in person, via e-mail to [email protected] .

Press conferences

The joint press conference(s) in the JL Press Room will be run in hybrid mode: with a physical presence of journalists in the room and via the usual videoconference platform (Zoom). Connection information will be shared via instant messaging (Signal) or email.

Except for a limited number of photographers/camera(wo)men, no physical access will be possible for national press conferences. They will be all available in video conference (Zoom).

Sanitary requirements

Physical access to the Council media centre will only be granted upon meeting one of the following three conditions:

  • a negative PCR test, taken no more than 72 hours before the start of the meeting,
  • a certificate by a medical doctor stating that the person has recovered from COVID-19,
  • a proof of full vaccination more than 14 days before the day of the meeting.

Media representatives are required to download, fill and sign a sworn statement certifying that they fulfil one of the conditions listed above. The sworn statement must be sent to [email protected] no later than Wednesday 23 June at 21:00. No test result or certificate should be sent to the GSC.

Press materials

Videos and photos of the Summit will be available on:

1 A minimum distance of 1.5m must be kept at all times as per the rules currently in application in Belgium (https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/faq/).

2 If you applied for the annual badge in 2021 and you have received a positive acknowledgement from Council press centre, please collect it in time before 23/6.