Loyal Bloggers to be Allowed for EU Summits Coverage

The Council of the European Union plans to allow bloggers and influencers to cover EU summits and ministerial meetings in Brussels. However, only authors who share the community's values will be eligible to participate, TASS reports.

According to the report, the program is scheduled to launch in July. Each country will be able to independently nominate candidates to cover the events. According to the document, authors who have published materials contrary to EU values will not be allowed to participate.

Furthermore, bloggers must not have significant or long-term commercial contracts with major brands, nor hold or aspire to political office. As Politico notes, preference will be given to authors with a wide audience and experience creating content on political topics, including those related to the activities of the European Union.

A representative of the Council of the EU confirmed to the publication that influencers will be accompanied by staff and will not be granted the status of accredited journalists. They will also not be granted access to media opportunities on an equal basis with members of the press.

The initiative drew criticism from the International Press Association, which represents journalists working at EU institutions. The organization expressed concerns that bloggers' participation in summit coverage could negatively impact the work of professional media.