The Council of the European Union is opening parts of its high-level meetings to content creators, a new outreach effort aimed at reaching younger audiences that has drawn concerns from Brussels-based journalists over transparency and access rules.
Pietro Valetto, a 27-year-old content creator invited to participate in the program, says the initiative should not be treated as a replacement for journalism.
“It’s a separate thing from journalists,” Valetto said. “It’s not like what the U.S. is doing, where the White House invites specific creators to cover them.”
The Council invited Valetto for what the institution described as an “exclusive experience” offering behind-the-scenes access. According to POLITICO, influencers will also receive invitations to EU leaders’ summits in Brussels and select ministerial meetings starting in July.
Under plans presented to diplomats, content creators attending EU summits may join press conferences and doorstep appearances but will not be permitted to ask questions. A Council official said creators “will be accompanied at all times and will not be treated as media, including when it comes to accreditation or access to media opportunities.”
Transparency Concerns
That distinction has not resolved concerns from Brussels journalists, who say the issue is less whether creators are formally accredited as media and more whether audiences will understand the terms under which they are given access.
Dafydd ab Iago, President of the Brussels-based foreign correspondent association API, criticized the arrangement on disclosure grounds.
“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,” he said.
Valetto said the invited creators are not being paid and face no content requirements. He described the initiative as a way for the Council to make its role more visible to audiences who may be more familiar with the European Commission and European Parliament.
“It’s more like showing off the institution because at the moment it’s suffering a lot compared to the Commission and Parliament,” he said. “People don’t really know what the Council is.”
Broader EU Outreach
The Council’s creator access plan follows similar outreach efforts by other EU institutions.
The European Commission enlisted 50 creators for its “Protect What Matters” campaign on security, democracy, and peace, with participants receiving no payment and retaining full editorial freedom. The European Parliament has also hosted food and fashion creators at events in Brussels and Strasbourg.
The outreach comes as EU institutions look for ways to reach younger audiences who increasingly consume news and political information through individual creators. A Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism study found that social media users under 35 are more likely to consume news from individual creators than from mainstream media outlets.
Valetto said the audience shift helps explain why EU institutions are experimenting with creator access.
“That’s because they want to reach new audiences,” he said of the Parliament’s creator outreach. “Maybe they get three or four days of coverage in front of an audience that doesn’t normally consider it.”
Cecilia Carloni, Interview Manager at Influence Weekly and writer for NetInfluencer. Coming from beautiful Argentina, Ceci has spent years chatting with big names in the influencer world, making friends and learning insider info along the way. When she’s not deep in interviews or writing, she's enjoying life with her two daughters. Ceci’s stories give a peek behind the curtain of influencer life, sharing the real and interesting tales from her many conversations with movers and shakers in the space.
The Council of the European Union is opening parts of its high-level meetings to content creators, a new outreach effort aimed at reaching younger audiences that has drawn concerns from Brussels-based journalists over transparency and access rules.
Pietro Valetto, a 27-year-old content creator invited to participate in the program, says the initiative should not be treated as a replacement for journalism.
“It’s a separate thing from journalists,” Valetto said. “It’s not like what the U.S. is doing, where the White House invites specific creators to cover them.”
The Council invited Valetto for what the institution described as an “exclusive experience” offering behind-the-scenes access. According to POLITICO, influencers will also receive invitations to EU leaders’ summits in Brussels and select ministerial meetings starting in July.
Under plans presented to diplomats, content creators attending EU summits may join press conferences and doorstep appearances but will not be permitted to ask questions. A Council official said creators “will be accompanied at all times and will not be treated as media, including when it comes to accreditation or access to media opportunities.”
Transparency Concerns
That distinction has not resolved concerns from Brussels journalists, who say the issue is less whether creators are formally accredited as media and more whether audiences will understand the terms under which they are given access.
Dafydd ab Iago, President of the Brussels-based foreign correspondent association API, criticized the arrangement on disclosure grounds.
“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,” he said.
Valetto said the invited creators are not being paid and face no content requirements. He described the initiative as a way for the Council to make its role more visible to audiences who may be more familiar with the European Commission and European Parliament.
“It’s more like showing off the institution because at the moment it’s suffering a lot compared to the Commission and Parliament,” he said. “People don’t really know what the Council is.”
Broader EU Outreach
The Council’s creator access plan follows similar outreach efforts by other EU institutions.
The European Commission enlisted 50 creators for its “Protect What Matters” campaign on security, democracy, and peace, with participants receiving no payment and retaining full editorial freedom. The European Parliament has also hosted food and fashion creators at events in Brussels and Strasbourg.
The outreach comes as EU institutions look for ways to reach younger audiences who increasingly consume news and political information through individual creators. A Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism study found that social media users under 35 are more likely to consume news from individual creators than from mainstream media outlets.
Valetto said the audience shift helps explain why EU institutions are experimenting with creator access.
“That’s because they want to reach new audiences,” he said of the Parliament’s creator outreach. “Maybe they get three or four days of coverage in front of an audience that doesn’t normally consider it.”
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