While the EU demands EU lobbyists to be transparent , the same  transparency does not apply to journalists. The argument being advanced is that such disclosure would contravene data protection.

By comparison in Canada, the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery (CPPG) provides a listing of all media accredited by name, by organization, life members, honorary members, bureau chiefs and agencies.

Source: Gareth Harding, Clear Europe Managing Director

Since May 2012, the European Commission has stopped publishing its highly-prized list of accredited journalists to the EU, making reliable figures hard to come by. However, Clear Europe has obtained a treasure trove of up-to-date statistics from well-placed EU sources who requested anonymity. Here are the highlights.

Conditions for annual EU inter-institutional media accreditation issued by the European Commission

Journalists* applying for media accreditation to the European Institutions must fulfill the following criteria:

• They must be an employee of a bona fide media organisation or a freelance journalist who regularly covers EU affairs for a bona fide media organisation.
• Be based in Brussels.
• Journalism must be their main source of income.

MEDIA ORGANISATIONS must fulfil the following criteria:

Mindset

Having the desire and motivation to exercise personal influence over journalism at the level of both the story and the institution requires a mix of awareness, confidence, imagination and ability. The idea of the “entrepreneurial” journalist is becoming a familiar one. Individual journalists in whatever area of expertise need to think of experimentation with the aim of innovation as something they practice rather than endure.

Being “Networked”

Austria

1. AHVV Verlag
2. Austrian Journalists Club
3. Fillmore
4. FJUM- Forum for Journalism and Media Vienna
5. Kronen Zeitung
6. Kurier
7. Dossier
8. Biber Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
9. Moser Holding AG
10. neopresse.com
11. NZZ Österreich GmbH
12. oe.24
13. Russmedia

Belgium

All eyes are on the next general election in 2017. But with Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) in disarray and the once-popular Green Party far from the dynamic young force it once was, some argue Merkel has little competition from righty or left. She has been tight-lipped about her intentions post-2017, but if she were to run for a fourth term she could surpass former CDU chancellor Helmut Kohl, who served for 16 years before he was ousted by the SPD's Gerhard Schröder in 1998.

The EU27 need to address the fact that too many people in Europe are unhappy with the current state of affairs and expect their leaders to do better on providing security, jobs and growth, especially for the young.

Overarching priorities

Belgium (2)

1. Mark DEMESMAEKER: MEP, ECR group.
2. Guy VERHOFSTADT: MEP, Member of the AFCO Committee of the European Parliament, Member of the EP political group Leaders’ Conference.

Bulgaria (1)

1. Ilian VASILEV: Former Ambassador of Bulgaria to Russia, co-owner of the consulting firm Innovative Energy Solutions.

Czech Republic (3)

There are numerous Japanese businesses operating in Europe, which have created 440,000 jobs. A considerable number of these firms are concentrated in the UK. Nearly half of Japanese direct investment intended for the EU in 2015 flowed to the UK, and the UK was one of the major destinations for Japan’s investment stock within the EU as of the end of last year.

Japanese Requests directed at the UK and the EU

Author : Dmitri Trenin, Director Carnegie Moscow Center