The European Commission will start on Tuesday 10 March with voluntarily registering the names of journalists attending briefings and press conferences in the Berlaymont press room as part of its measures against the spread of the coronavirus.
According to the Commission recording the details of participants of meetings/events will help trace and inform people in case of the infection of one of the participants. Journalists will be asked to fill out a short form, the same one that will be used at all other meetings that are organised by the Commission services – internal and external. Journalists who refuse to register will not be denied access to the briefings/conferences, we have been assured.
There will be 2 to 4 members of the Commission’s spokespersons service present at the main entrance to the press room to collect the information. Journalists are advised to only use the main door to the press room.
The legal basis for collecting and processing this information is, according to the SPP, regulation EC2018/1725, art 5 (e), which states that processing is lawful if it is ,,necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person”.
The chairing spokesperson will remind at every press event all journalists and other visitors attending the Commission pressroom to fill out the registration that would allow greater traceability and security of participants.
This same kind of voluntary registration was introduced a week earlier by the European Parliament at the entrances to its buildings.
The other institutions in Brussels have also issued advisories on how to behave and act in order to prevent the spread of the corona-virus. Many meetings have been cancelled. More information here:
European Council:
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/03/09/coronavirus-further-measures-introduced-in-council/
European Parliament:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20200303IPR73875/coronavirus-covid-19-measures-introduced-by-the-european-parliament
NATO:
https://nato.cmail19.com/t/r-l-jhidtitd-kkgtiidp-j/
https://nato.cmail19.com/t/r-l-jhidtitd-kkgtiidp-t/
