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Communication – who's responsible
Communication in the EU Commission is dealt with by the Directorate-General for Communication (under the authority of the Commission President and of Vice-President Viviane Reding ), with certain tasks managed by communication units in the other Directorates-General.
DG Communication's mission is to:
- Inform the media and the public about the Commission's activities and communicate the objectives of its policies and activities
- Inform the Commission about developments and discussions on the EU in the EU countries.
Contacts with the press
The Commission's Spokesperson's service – part of DG Communication – is the official voice of the European Commission in its relations with the media. It keeps the media informed of Commission work in as open and transparent a way as possible, and is generally the first port of call for journalists.
The main contacts for journalists in Brussels are the individual spokespeople
(1.16 Mb), their press officers and secretaries based in the Commission headquarters (the Berlaymont building), Rue de la Loi 200, 1040 Brussels. Each specializes in a specific policy area.
The Spokesperson's Service is in close touch with officials in the various Directorates-General who have specialist knowledge of particular subjects. These staff may attend briefings to give expert information on particular stories.
The press room area coordination team is responsible for day-to-day organisation, access to the press room and working area, and EU press passes (accreditation).
All accredited media can subscribe to the Commission's urgent email information bulletins: esPRESSos.
Logistical support
TV and radio journalists can get technical assistance from the Audiovisual Production Unit (Berlaymont building) including studio facilities, archive material, stock shots, photographs, etc.
The documentation team, working with the print shop, ensures that all documents are made available to the media either in the press room or from the archives.
The Europa website is the official site of the European Union, including the Commission and its departments. It gives access to the online Press room and press releases through the RAPID database.
Audio-visual background information is also available on Europa.
Contacts in your country
The Commission's Representative offices have a dual role of media relations and political liaison. They are a point of contact for national/regional authorities and journalists and have a special role vis-à-vis opinion makers and multipliers.