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The International Press Association (API-IPA) is greatly concerned by Austrian interior ministry instructions to national police "blacklisting" and restricting communication with government-critical media to "the most necessary". The instructions also aimed at providing preferential treatment to government-friendly media.

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Belgian authorities are reviewing their plans to charge a €50 security screening fee to journalists seeking for accreditation to European Council summit meetings.

Thanks to campaigning by the International Press Association (API-IPA), representing Brussels-based foreign journalists, together with Belgian journalist unions VVJ and AJP, Belgian authorities have now signaled an exemption for journalists.

The exemption requires an amendment to a Belgian law passed in February 2018.

 Les autorités belges sont en train de réexaminer le projet visant à facturer des frais de contrôles de sécurité de 50 euros aux journalistes souhaitant être accrédités pour les réunions du Conseil européen.

L'Association internationale de la presse (API-IPA) est préoccupée par des instructions du ministère de l'Intérieur autrichien à la police nationale pour créer une 'liste noire' et pour la restriction de la communication avec les médias critiques au gouvernement au 'plus nécessaire'. Les instructions visaient également à accorder un traitement préférentiel aux médias favorables au gouvernement.

(version française ci-dessous)

Last July, the International Press Association (API-IPA), representing the foreign correspondents in Brussels vis à vis the EU institutions, learned that the Belgian authorities planned to start charging initially € 50 every six months to journalists seeking EU summit accreditation, for their security screening. Recently, we learned that the € 50 fee will now be asked per year and not per semester.

(Version francaise ci-dessous)

The International Press Association (API-IPA), representing the interests of the foreign correspondents in Brussels, has learned that the Belgian authorities will start charging €50 to journalists seeking EU summit accreditation, for their security screening every six months (or €100 per year).

Présents: Margaritis Schinas (SPP), Lisa Dimitrova (SPP), Tom Weingärtner, Lorenzo Consoli (API), Eric Maurice (API) Kris Van Haver (API), Michael Stabenow (API), Hans de Bruijn (API), Thierry Monasse. (API).

• Après le bilan de la réunion informelle des dirigeants qui s'est tenue le 24 juin, il a été convenu que le PSP explorerait des solutions pour l'utilisation d'espaces alternatifs dans la BERL, en particulier aux portes des lieux, permettant de meilleures opportunités de photos et un accès plus facile aux journalistes.

Present: Margaritis Schinas (SPP), Lisa Dimitrova (SPP), Tom Weingärtner, Lorenzo Consoli (API), Eric Maurice (API) Kris Van Haver(API), Michael Stabenow(API), Hans de Bruijn (API), Thierry Monasse (API). 

• Taking stock of the Informal Leaders' meeting, which took place on 24 June, it was agreed that the SPP will explore solutions for use of alternative spaces in the BERL, especially for the doorsteps, allowing for better photo opportunities and easier access of journalists.

 The Lénaïc Fund for Quality Journalism is offering a five-month financial bursary of up to €5,000 for a placement starting in October 2018 with Politico in Brussels.

Applicants must be female EU graduates under 28 years of age, aiming to work in EU journalism, able to write in English and have a reasonable knowledge of a second EU language.

It was a couple of days after the fall of the Berlin wall on 9 November 1989 when Ullrich Schur and his wife Barbara arrived in Brussels. Barbara and "Ulli" - as he was known by his friends and colleagues – were standing in the back row of a packed Press Room on the first floor in the old Berlaymont building. No one knew then what would be the repercussions of the events. This was particularly true for Barbara and Ulli who had previously worked for the East German state news agency AND in Mongolia. But they certainly sensed more than most of the Brussels based journalists, that things to come would be totally different. 

It is with deep concern that the International Press Association API-IPA takes note of the fact that European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker does not intend to inform the international press about his discussions with heads of state and government on migration and asylum issues during the informal meeting on Sunday.  

This must sound like fake news to you, but it is the truth, simply the truth – and a fantastic truth. For the first time in its more or less glorious, but longstanding history API´s football team (FC API) managed to win the annual Subsicup tournament.  

Dear collegues, API-IPA would like to share the following statement with you:

Last week, several complaints have reached us about the handling of news by the SPP.

Tuesday afternoon the Commission put out a statement (18/3982) of President Juncker concerning remarks of Commissioner Oettinger earlier the same day in an interview with Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany).

Journalists holding a permanent accreditation at NATO were unpleasantly surprised today when arriving at the alliance's new headquarters, where they were not given access on showing their permanent accreditation pass as usual, but also had to wait in a sometimes long line for a separate media-visitors badge and for a special badge to open the new turnstiles at the entrance gate. On top of that, identity cards were taken in and only given back after returning the two extra badges when leaving the NATO premises.

API has sent the following e-mail to European Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas about the presentation of the press material about the Multiannual Financial Framework, last week by president Juncker: 

The European Council will make the access to the Lipsius and Europa buildings for accredited journalists a bit easier, something API has asked for sometime ago. The inter-institutional (yellow) badge will be 'upgraded' for that purpose. 

API held its 2018 Annual General Assembly on Tuesday 6 March 2018 in the Residence Palace, under the chairmanship of Tom Weingärtner, API's president. There were about twenty-five members present.