Why? Seems they just haven’t got around to it. “Mainly logistical problems and budget constraints,” said one of the diplomats, who was granted anonymity to speak freely, as were others quoted in this piece. Another said they’d not had a chance to discuss it with their capital, but hadn’t ruled out the idea for future summits.
“There is no appetite for this,” said a third diplomat. “If my leader wants an influencer [they] would take one” with them, the diplomat said, adding that countries “don’t need the Council for that.”
Council spokesperson Romain Sadet confirmed that “we won’t be having content creators at the upcoming European Council.”
When the plan was unveiled, a Council official said the influencers would be granted access to areas of the Council’s Brussels HQ that are currently open only to journalists accredited by the EU institutions — though they would be banned from asking ministers and leaders questions.
“Content creators will be accompanied at all times and will not be treated as media,” the Council official continued. “We are working on the basis of about 10 content creators per event max, accompanied by Council staff.”
In June, the Council sent guidance for choosing influencers to national governments, seen by POLITICO.