EU wants influencers to cover its summits — but only if they love the bloc

BRUSSELS — Influencers will be able to film content while top EU leaders meet in Brussels — as long as they don’t question the bloc’s values.

That’s according to guidance sent by the Council of the EU to national governments earlier this month, seen by POLITICO.

POLITICO reported last month that the Council plans to invite social media influencers to cover EU leaders’ summits in Brussels and certain ministerial meetings, starting in July.

It will be up to member countries to decide which YouTubers and TikTokers should attend, but the guidance from the Council says they should not pick anyone who has “published views against EU values,” said the guidance.

The content creators should also not have any “significant or long-standing commercial collaborations,” to avoid associations with large brands, the guidance continues. The influencers will not be paid as part of the scheme.

They can’t be seeking a political role, or already hold one, meaning influencer-turned-Cypriot MEP Fidias Panayiotou wouldn’t be able to get the required accreditation.

EU countries should pick influencers whose social media accounts have a “significant audience” relative to their country’s population, and who have a track record of creating content about politics, specifically the EU, the guidance says.

EU countries still need to give their backing to the plan, however, one EU diplomat told POLITICO that the guidance has his support, adding: “We’ll have to see how it plays out in terms of having these content creators on the ground during Council days. What kind of access are they given? What kind of content are they able to generate?” The diplomat was granted anonymity to speak freely.

Access to film within the Council building in Brussels is normally reserved for accredited journalists.

The plan has received pushback from a journalists’ association, which raised concerns that the presence of content creators could undermine reporters’ work covering Council meetings.

“Clicks, views and impressions are great on TikTok and Instagram. But the basic fact remains: influencers in press conferences and at summits will not have to disclose who pays them,” the International Press Association, which represents reporters covering European institutions, said in a statement after the announcement of the scheme in May. “By contrast, EU-accredited journalists are not expected to accept payment in return for writing nice stories. It’s sort of called journalistic ethics.”

A Council spokesperson confirmed that influencers would be “accompanied at all times and will not be treated as media, including when it comes to accreditation or access to media opportunities.”