EU interparliamentary conference banned from journalists
(B2) The Estonian EU Presidency has decided to ban the presence of journalists at the Interparliamentary Conference on CFSP and CSDP. An exceptional device which creates a precedent and constitutes a violation of the democratic rules in use at European level for press coverage.
A measure contrary to custom... and values
Usually, journalists have access to the conference, the room, the lobby, the adjoining corridors, as is the case for all sittings (commission, plenary) of the European Parliament. The interest is threefold. This allows you to see everything that is happening in the room, and not only what is broadcast on the main screen, with the interjections, the debates, the atmosphere in the room, the number of parliamentarians, etc. (any aspect that cannot be covered by a camera). This also makes it possible to meet parliamentarians, stakeholders, in a free and easy way, with all the journalistic rules in use. This allows access to session documents (at least those that are public). Finally, it is even a democratic principle: the public holding of debates.
The Estonian presidency has decided to free itself from these customs and these democratic rules, with complete impunity, claiming that it is "Estonia which organizes the conference" and that "it is the Estonian Parliament" which sets the rules of organization. An organic error: the CFSP-CSDP interparliamentary conference which brings together delegates from national parliaments and delegates from the European Parliament stems from the dissolution of the former WEU parliamentary assembly and represents a compromise between those who wanted an exclusive role for the European Parliament and those who wanted to preserve the discussion space for national parliaments. The principle of free access to the press.
A false pretext
No official explanation has really been given. The organizer of the conference first put forward the pretext that there is " no space in the conference room (which is false!, I was able to verify for myself) and that the video transmission (streaming) in a small space reserved for journalists at the other end of the Hilton hotel was sufficient (1).
Comments : this attitude is surprising to say the least. At a time when Estonia is constantly talking about hybrid threats, possible attempts at disinformation on the part of Russia, throwing a veil of opacity over a parliamentary conference devoted to European defense is more than clumsy, it is dangerous . In fact, it is rather an old reflex, worthy of the Soviet era: the "journalist" is considered a "suspicious being" who must be as far away as possible from places of political discussion and he cannot, under any circumstances, approach the elected representatives and European representatives.
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
(1) In fact, two sofas (and three peanuts), in a corner of the hotel corridor ((on the ground floor), as far as possible from the meeting room (which is located on the 1st floor) and even the circuit of movement of parliamentarians (who from the 1st go out directly without going through the press area).
