European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen thanked chief spokesperson Eric Mamer on Thursday with a bouquet of flowers on the last daily press conference of the Commission’s Spokesperson’s Service (SPP). The press conference became also a moment of reflection on the relations between the SPP and media.
“Thank you for your outstanding work and for always been available during weekends and travels sacrificing family life,” she said to her chief spokesperson who also headed the SPP. According to its website, the service acts as the official voice of the European Commission vis-à-vis the media. It organises press conferences, briefings and is the main point of contact for media organisations.
Eric Mamer described the work as demanding and as one of the hardest jobs in the Commission which involves interacting between the internal and external world of the Commission. “Every single day, we are answering hundreds of questions, he said, "the press conferences are only the tip of the ice berg."
He admitted that the SPP has not always been as fast and detailed as media wanted. “We are only as good as the services behind us,” he said, referring to the officials working in the different directorates-general that are supposed to provide the spokespersons the information they need to reply to media’s numerous questions.
According to Mamer, media often get the details wrong though they generally have the overall picture right. The SPP is doing its best to get both the details right and to put them in the right context in its press releases. They include links to EU legislation and other relevant documents and are often supported by fact sheets and lists of questions & answers (Q&A).
Besides the daily press conferences, the SPP also arranges special technical briefings with the participation of senior Commission officials answering questions on the condition of anonymity or off the record.
The SPP consists of spokespersons, press officers and press assistants. Some changes in the SPP are already contemplated. According to Politico EU, the number of spokespersons might be reduced from 17 to 14 when the new Commission begins work on Monday. The number of press conferences, in principle every working day, could also be reduced.
The outgoing chief spokesperson underlined that SPP and media are in the same line of business. Both are engaged in the EU, share its fundamental values and work to inform European citizens about the EU and its policies. “If there were no free media to report about the EU, there would be no need for spokespersons.”
While most journalists are satisfied with the working relations with the SPP and the information they receive, spokespersons and journalists have different roles. The journalists ask the questions, the spokespersons answer them. In doing that the role of the spokespersons is also to defend the Commission and this, not surprisingly, might lead to less straightforward replies or no replies at all.
Respect for the facts and for the right of the public to truth is the first duty of the journalist, according to international journalism standards that are reflected in the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists. If the SPP has a similar mission statement, it is not published. Media is sometimes on collusion course with the SPP when demanding free access to documents and sources of information.
The chief spokesperson in the second von der Leyen Commission was presented for the first time at the last press conference of her predecessor. She is Paula Pinho, a Portuguese national and lawyer by training. She has been Director at the Directorate-General Energy since April 2021 where she was responsible for Just Transition, Consumers, Energy Security, Efficiency and Innovation.
She described herself as proud European Portuguese citizen who shares a passion for the EU and for communication about the EU. “You and us share a very demanding mission in communicating to the public”, she told media. “We are in the same boat.”
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
