Any veteran journalist has received this warning from a flack at some point in their career: ‘I’m not threatening you, but if you run the story…’
Before arriving in Brussels last year, I could have counted the times I received such ultimatums on one hand (and I’ve been in this line of work for over 30 years). I don’t have enough digits to keep track since then. In fact, I fielded the latest “I’m not threatening you” -threat as I was preparing this column this afternoon, concerning an article you will find on our pages tomorrow morning.
Just yesterday, a Commission spokesman darkly warned my colleague Eddy Wax “I won’t forget it”, in connection with this morning’s edition of Rapporteur.
We’re not so precious that we can’t handle genuine criticism of our work. When that criticism turns into threats of retribution, however, a thick red line has been crossed.
Ursula von der Leyen’s press team is trying to erase that line. In addition to the threats not to publish, we’ve been subjected to frequent aggression from spokespeople, both over the phone and in person.
Last fall, one of von der Leyen’s spin doctors harangued one of our reporters at the aptly named Schuman watering hole Le Coin du Diable about an article the journalist hadn’t written and had nothing to do with. We were subsequently banned for a time from Commission briefings for the same coverage.
A few months later, a spokeswoman for Executive Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera became so angry over a story we did about her desire to meet fellow socialist Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York, that she began shouting down the phone.
It’s no coincidence these coercive tactics emanate from the European Commission. Though von der Leyen pays lip service to the importance of a free and independent press, in practice, she exercises very tight message control.
‘Scoops’ are doled out to those who play along, while those who don’t are punished by having their access curtailed or denied.
Brussels has long been a place where journalists coddle the powerful instead of holding them to account. It makes life easier. What’s more, many of the reporters here are dependent on EU subsidies and willing to trade journalistic integrity for access – to go along to get along.
We are not.
P.S. To the Commission flack who threatened to pull our access this afternoon: you have my answer.
Roundup
Russian tourists flock to Europe – New statistics reveal a rise in visas issued to Russian nationals last year, highlighting a reluctance to forgo the revenue brought by Russian tourists. More than 620,000 visas were issued for travel in the EU – an uptick of 10.2% compared to 2024. Nearly three-quarters were to France, Italy, and Spain.
Health experts warn that AI development outstrips legislation – Europe risks losing ground in the global race to deploy artificial intelligence in healthcare, EU health officials and experts warned, pointing to slow, fragmented policymaking as a major obstacle. One of the key challenges Europe faces is its limited ability to train AI tools on representative data, with experts stating that most AI software is using non-European data.
Progressives mount challenge to review of EU’s core water law – Socialists, Greens and Renew MEPs are pushing to preserve the Water Framework Directive – central to the EU’s environmental protection legislation – as the Commission prepares to propose carve-outs for the mining and metals processing sectors as part of a broader effort to increase domestic extraction of essential minerals to reduce dependence on China. MEPs warn that “lowering environmental standards would not speed up projects but increase risks.”
Council throws weight behind industrial AI deregulation – The Council backed cutting some EU rules for industrial AI, potentially clearing the way for agreement on the AI simplification package. The move marks a win for Berlin, which argued that the cuts were necessary for the competitiveness of Europe’s industrial sectors. National ambassadors overwhelmingly backed exempting machinery from most of the AI Act, a reversal from their previous stances.
Across Europe
France moves to cut dependence on Chinese rare earths – Paris has a new plan to reduce Europe’s worrying reliance on China for supplies of rare earths and permanent magnets. France hopes to build up domestic recycling, refining and processing capacity, which are essential processes in making magnets for use in clean tech and digital applications.
Italian defence company sees orders surge – Italian defence giant Leonardo reported “excellent results” for the first quarter of 2026, with orders up nearly a third. The company’s CEO stressed that all key economic and financial indicators showed “significant progress.” The company also reported strong momentum across its helicopter, aeronautics and space divisions.
Hantavirus ship to dock in Spain – A cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak will dock “within three days” at Granadilla on the island of Tenerife, Spain’s health minister said, despite opposition from the Canary Islands regional government. The minister emphasised that “a joint system for health assessment and evacuation will be put in place to repatriate all passengers, unless their medical condition prevents it”.
Source:
www.euractiv.com