Key facts
- The EU Council plans to invite social media influencers to cover summits and ministerial meetings.
- The initiative is scheduled to begin in July.
- Influencers must demonstrate loyalty to EU values.
- Candidates must avoid significant commercial collaborations.
- The goal is to broaden the reach of EU communications.
The European Council is preparing to invite social media influencers to cover its high-level events, including leaders' summits and ministerial meetings. This new initiative is slated to commence in July. The primary objective is to broaden the reach of EU communications and engage a wider audience through digital platforms. However, the selection process will involve a loyalty test, ensuring that invited influencers align with and promote EU values. Candidates will be vetted to confirm their commitment to these principles. Furthermore, a crucial criterion for participation is the avoidance of significant commercial collaborations. This stipulation aims to maintain the integrity of the content and prevent potential conflicts of interest or undue commercial influence on the messaging. The EU Council seeks to leverage the unique storytelling capabilities of influencers to convey the outcomes and significance of its meetings to a global audience, particularly younger demographics who may not regularly follow traditional news outlets.