Today marks the 73rd anniversary of NATO. Since its foundation on April 4th 1949, NATO has guaranteed the security and safety of Allied citizens in Europe and North America. Today, the Alliance includes 30 countries and one billion people.
To mark this anniversary, capitals across the Alliance are illuminating buildings in NATO blue and raising the NATO flag at important monuments. In Brussels, for instance, flags are flying under the Cinquantenaire and at the entrance to the Atomium.
As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg writes in the foreword of his recentAnnual Report for 2021, the Alliance stands united in the face of new security challenges: “While our security environment has changed dramatically in the last decade, our fundamental values have not, and neither has NATO Allies’ commitment to protect and defend each other. The bond between Europe and North America is stronger than ever. Together in NATO, we will continue to keep our one billion people safe and free.”
Raising of the NATO Flag at the Arches of the Cinquantenaire in Brussels for the occasion of NATO Day
In Brussels, flags are flying under the Cinquantenaire and at the entrance to the Atomium.
Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs
06 Apr. 2022 - 07 Apr. 2022|
Press Release 2022 067
Issued on 29 Mar. 2022
|Last updated: 01 Apr. 2022 08:09
GENERAL
A meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs will take place at the NATO Headquarters onWednesday 06 April and Thursday 07 April 2022. The meeting will be in person and will be chaired by the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.
This media advisory marks the opening of online registration for accreditation. Media representatives with annual accreditation can cover this event at NATO Headquarters with their annual badge. Media representatives who do not have an annual badge but want to cover the event in person, need to apply for accreditation, which will be valid on 5, 6 and 7 April. NATO will facilitate remote interaction during the Secretary General’s press conferences.
MEDIA PROGRAMME
A detailed media programme will be published shortly on the NATO website.
The Secretary General will preview the Ministerial meeting with a press conference in the afternoon of 05 April.
The meeting will start on 06 April with a working dinner. No media opportunity is foreseen.
There will be two sessions on 07 April. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Australia, Finland, Georgia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Sweden and Ukraine, as well as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission, are invited to join the first session. Some of them may attend via video link.
Public opening remarks, as well as the family photo, will be covered by a pool of videographers and photographers (see below for pool access).
The Secretary General will brief the press at the end of the meeting, in the afternoon on 07 April.
Please contact the individual delegations regarding the media engagements of ministers. A list of delegation press officers is available from the NATO Press & Media Section (MOC [at] hq.nato.int). Any national events that are open to all media will be announced on CCTV during the ministerial meeting.
POOLS
Visual journalists will have pool access to the opening of the meeting and the official ‘family photo’. A limited number of pool cards will be available and should be requested by email before the start of the ministerial meeting, at NatoMediaOperations[at] hq.nato.int.
If you accept a NATO pool position you must share immediately all information and material collected while in the pool with any accredited media that request it. You will share the material at no charge and with no restriction on the use of the material for news purposes.
You can only accept the pool accreditation if you have the agreement of your employer to all of the conditions on providing pool material listed above.
Media organisations that want pooled images should first contact the wire service / photo agency of which they are a client. Media representatives and news organisations must identify that it is pooled material every time it is used. Pooled material can only be used for legitimate news purposes and it cannot be sold.
BROADCAST
NATO will provide broadcast quality video in real time on EBU World feed or to EBU News Exchange.
NATO photographers and videographers will provide video clips and photos of all public events during the ministerial meeting. Photos can be downloaded from theNATO website. The video files will be available for free download from theNATO Multimedia Portal.
The Secretary General’s press conference will be broadcast live on the internal closed-circuit television system and can be viewed in the press working area as well as on the NATO website. The press conference will also be available via EBU. Audio recordings of the press conference interpreted in English and French, as well as transcripts in English will be made available on the NATO website.
ACCREDITATION AND SECURITY CHECKS
MEDIA ACCREDITATION
Attendance in person:
Media representatives who have annual accreditation to NATO for 2022 do not need to apply for separate accreditation for this event.
All other media representatives wishing to cover the meetings in person will need to apply for short-term accreditation. They need to register via NATO’s media accreditation platform:https://my.hq.nato.int. Please find instructions on how to log in or create a new profile inAnnex 1.
The deadline to register and apply for media accreditation for attendance in person isThursday 31 March 2022 at 23:59 (Brussels Time).
NATO will confirm the accreditation explicitly by email. Please bring a printout of the confirmation email when collecting their badge.
Media passes must be collected in person upon presentation of an ID card or passport and a valid national press pass (or accreditation letter from a recognised media organisation) at the Main Entrance, NATO Headquarters, Boulevard Leopold III 1110.
Passes must be visible at all times. Security personnel may ask to see anotherform of ID. You are advised to arrive with sufficient lead time to clear security checks. Security personnel will examine and may test equipment and personal effects carried onto the site.
In accordance with NATO media accreditationprocedures, NATO reserves the right to deny or withdraw accreditation of media representatives from media organisations who abuse their privileges, put the accreditation to improper use or act in a way not consistent with the principles of the organisation. Late applications will not be taken into consideration for pool access.
NATO will also facilitate remote coverage/interaction:
All public events will be streamed live on the NATO website, and recorded footage will be available via the NATO Multimedia portal.
NATO is offering journalists the option to ask questions remotely via Zoom to the NATO Secretary General during his press conferences on 05 and 07 April. Journalists wishing to do so are requested to register by midday onTuesday 05 April 2022 (Brussels Time)via NATO’s accreditation platform:https://my.hq.nato.int. Please find instructions on how to create a profile inAnnex 1.
Journalists registered for remote engagement will be contacted separately for technical details. While every effort will be made to accommodate as many questions as possible, time limitations might not allow all questions to be asked.
MEDIA FACILITIES
A press area with working spaces will be set up on the first floor of the NATO Public Square. Electricity sockets, Wi-Fi internet, and telephones will be available. The permanent media working room is also available on the first floor of the Public Square, facing the Agora.
Working spaces cannot be booked in advance and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Television and radio editing spaces will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, upon request by email to theNATO TV & Radio Unit(see contact details below).
NATO also makes available one TV and one radio studio when they are not in use by senior NATO officials. These facilities are usually booked via delegations’ press officers wishing to accept interview requests from media organisations.
PARKING
Media representatives can park in the Visitors’ car park of the NATO HQ, or in the car park directly across the Main Entrance, at the Z entrance parking of the former NATO HQ. Uplink vans can park in a special section of the car park upon request to the NATO TV & Radio Unit.
