Click here to view in your browser

NATO Summit

GENERAL

1. A meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government will be held on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 July 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting will be chaired by the NATO Secretary General and will include a short opening ceremony.
2. The Meeting will take place at the new NATO Headquarters on Boulevard Leopold III, 1110 Brussels.
3. An international media centre will open on site on 10 July 2018 at 09h00 and remain open around the clock until 13 July 2018 at 09h00 local time. Access to the media centre will be granted exclusively via the Accreditation Office, details of which will be provided in a second advisory later in June.
4. All updates will be posted on the NATO website: www.nato.int. You can also follow us on twitter @NATOPress.
5. For obvious reasons, security will be heavy during this event. Please allocate enough time to account for security checks and random sweeps, and comply with the instructions of NATO security staff as they occur.

MEDIA ACCREDITATION

6. Applications for accreditation are now open and must be entered on line by clicking on the following link: https://my.hq.nato.int/.
7. The deadline for accreditation requests is 18h00 (Brussels time) on 27 June 2018. Questions can be directed to natoaccreditations@hq.nato.int.
8. Opening hours of the NATO Summit Accreditation Office:

9. A specific media pass for the Summit will be delivered to all accredited media. The 2018 NATO permanent pass will NOT authorize access to the Headquarters during the Meeting.
10. Late applications will be treated on a case-by-case basis and, due to security constraints, will be strictly limited and may be unsuccessful.
11. Media passes will not be mailed to applicants and will be delivered up in person upon presentation of a valid National identification document (Passport or ID-card)  and a valid national press card (or accreditation letter from a recognised media organisation).
12. Media representatives are informed that security personnel will examine, and may test, equipment and personal effects carried onto the site, and are advised to arrive with sufficient lead time to clear security checks.
13. In accordance with NATO media accreditation procedures, NATO reserves the right to deny or withdraw accreditation of media representatives from media organizations who abuse their privileges or put the accreditation to improper use or act in a way not consistent with the principles of the organization. Accreditation requests introduced after 27 June may also be rejected outright.

THE MEDIA PROGRAMME

14. The official Summit programme is expected to start mid-day on 11 June and end early afternoon on 12 July. There will be several working sessions of the North Atlantic Council at Heads of State and/or Government-level, as well as working sessions of Allies with partners in different configuration. Working dinners on 11 July will take place off site in a special setting. These dinners will be organized by Belgium as the host country and will offer media coverage opportunities. More details about press pools, registration for these pools and press programme will be made available online, including via the second advisory late June.
15. The media programme will derive from the official Summit programme, and will include elements of the ‘NATO Engages’ Symposium organized on the margins of the Summit. All media access to the media events at the new NATO HQ and around the working dinners outside the new NATO HQ will be restricted to media pool card holders. Pools will be of a given size, and delegations and/or NATO will distribute pool cards to media. A handbook detailing pool positions and timings will be made available to accredited media.
16. The media programme will include :
    • On 11 July, arrivals, doorsteps, official greeting, official group portrait, welcoming ceremony, meeting opening, press conferences, working dinner welcome and photo;
    • On 12 July, arrivals, doorsteps, meeting opening and press conferences; and
    • Access to Symposium events taking place on site, on the margins of the official programme; the Secretary General is expected to open the Symposium with a keynote address in the morning on 11 July.
17.  All media programme events will be transmitted live by the Summit Host Broadcaster to the media centre, online and via satellite.
18. A special welcoming event will be organized by the host country Belgium for accredited media on 10 July from 18h – a unique opportunity to experience the host country’s culture. More information will be provided in due course.
19. Leaders will arrive to the new NATO HQ as from 11h00 CET onwards. Delegations can be contacted directly for details.
20. A media programme will be provided to accredited media on location, and main elements of it will be uploaded on the NATO website closer to the date.
21. Bilateral events between delegations are not a part of the official Summit programme, but they may include a media component. Details of these bilateral events should be sought from the delegations concerned.

THE MEDIA CENTRE

22. More information about access will be provided in due course.
23. The Media Centre will include a filing area for 850 workspaces; broadcast centre with 45 Television and 15 Radio editing booths; 25 outdoors stand-up positions with a view to the NATO Flags, NATO star and the new NATO HQ façade, 18 indoor stand up positions with a view to the Agora (8) and to the international filing centre (10); briefing space for delegation press conferences; catering area; and parking for satellite trucks.
24. Connectivity:
25. Wi-fi: Wi-fi will be available to accredited media at the media centre. Pool positions at the new NATO Headquarters will have some cell phone connectivity and, in many cases, wi-fi as well.
26. Access by Satellite and SNG Trucks:
27. Duly accredited media representatives can bring in bulky equipment as from 09 July (by appointment) and not later than 10 July at 17h.
28. Satellite van accessibility and security procedures need to be completed on 9 or 10 July before 17h. Arrivals need to be announced by contacting the TV/Radio office here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int. Satellite and SNG trucks will be swept by security upon entry and during the event. Should NATO security request it, please open your trucks and comply with security sweeps

HOST BROADCASTER & BROADCAST-QUALITY B-ROLL

26. NATO’s Host Broadcast operations will deliver a single high quality HD/SDI signal live to the media centre for all summit media events on 11 and 12 July, free of charge. The feed will be available in the media centre without added graphics or text inserts. The live programme signal will also be aired on closed circuit television screens throughout the media centre and Summit site (headsets available for audio language selection in the media centre) and via NATO Website.
27. NATO HQ will archive and distribute broadcast-quality B-roll from the event. Contact: content@natomultimedia.tv.
28. NATO will also seek to distribute the signal of some airport arrivals, symposium events and working dinner events scheduled to take place during those two days.

TELEVISION & RADIO INCLUDING EBU SUPPORT

29. The Media Centre includes 45 editing booths for television and 15 for radio crews.  Each booth is equipped for three people. NATO will provide booths with the following complimentary amenities:
30. Two desks and three chairs;
31. Coat hanger, paper basket;
32. Light, electricity, air-conditioning, lockable door, sound proofing,
33. wifi internet (no cabled internet);
34. land phone line;
35. intercom capacity to EBU MCR (tbc);
36. video feed (BNC termination) of primary live programme signal. The format of the programme signal will be as origin, HD1080/50i with embedded audio and translation channels; and
37. ISDN line for radio booths.
38. NATO is working to provide multiple live signals of certain ‘rich’ events, such as the opening ceremony or at times when multiple doorstep remarks are likely, provided via EBU at extra cost.
39. EBU/Eurovision is a long-standing partner of NATO and stands ready to support television and radio operators with high-end broadcast services at commercial rates. Broadcasters and radio operators who require a secondary switchable signal (secondary live feeds, national briefings, replays) and / or who require a down-converted SD/SDI version of all host signals need to book a matrix router panel from Eurovision. Eurovision will also provide comprehensive broadcast facilities for its television clients, including live stand-up positions for live programme inserts, tape play out in multiple formats, tailor made production and transmission packages and multi-signal distribution of Host TV video and audio signals.
40. Reservation of editing booths on a first-come, first-serve basis can be done at no cost via EBU/Eurovision here: newsoperations@eurovision.net. NATO reserves the right to arbitrate between competing requests on the basis of reach and balance.
41. Cables connecting reserved editing booths to satellite vans must be done by the network concerned no later than 8hr CET on 11 July. Satellite vans will have access to electrical power, telephone lines, fixed and Wi-Fi internet. Prior notification of cabling plans and schedule must be made in writing no later than 1 July here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int.
42. TV operations and workspace bookings:

Eurovision Special Events
Tel: +41 22 717 2840
newsoperations@eurovision.net
TV producer:  Dounia Wolteche
Mob. +32 474 673 911
CLICK HERE to view the Eurovision Special Events webpage for this NATO meeting.

35. RADIO operations and workspace bookings:

EBU Radio Ops
Tel: +41 79 230 1508
Radio-Ops@ebu.ch
Radio Producer: Julia Lonicer
Mob. +41 79 230 1508
CLICK HERE to view the EBU Radio Ops webpage for this NATO Meeting.

STAND-UP POSITIONS, SATVAN PARKING & TELEVISION STUDIO

36. Twenty-five outdoor stand-up positions at the flags will be available for television and eight internal at the Agora. These positions need to be reserved in one of two ways.
37. Broadcasters who can make the case for continuous live coverage from NATO will want to book a dedicated space equipped only with power and covered in case of inclement weather. Contact NATO here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int.
38. Broadcasters who expect to require shorter time slots for live pieces to camera can book fully equipped live positions at commercial rates via Eurovision (newsoperations@eurovision.net) or APTN (bookings@ap.org).
39. Broadcasters who need to park SNG vehicles will be given access to the open-sky car park at the media centre, located in the parking lot of the staff centre, approximately 180 meters from the edit booths and 380 meters from the stand-up positions. The parking will be cabled by NATO to the stand-up positions (the 25 external stand ups and the 8 internal stand ups with 1080i50 signal and BNC interface). The edit booths and media centre stand-up positions are not cabled to the satvan parking lot. Own cabling to the satellite vans is possible under conditions (see above section). Electricity supply system (power generator) will be in place; TV teams should bring their own electricity cables to connect themselves to the electric network. Prior notice of arrival and space needs must be made in writing here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int.
40. A fully equipped TV studio wired for live transmission is also available. Bookings can be made here: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int.

PRESS CONFERENCES

41. Press conference facilities will be located inside the new NATO Headquarters and will be available for reservations by Delegations. Information about press conferences will be available from delegations and/or published on closed circuit television screens throughout the media centre. Details about press conference room access and facilities can be obtained from Anna Sandell here: natomediaoperations@hq.nato.int.

VISAS

42. All journalists requiring visas for Belgium will be responsible for ensuring that they have the appropriate visa to enter the country. Media are advised to request accreditation without waiting for a valid visa, and to apply for such a visa in in good time. More information on the webpage of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, here: http://bit.ly/2nNhEYn

CAR AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT ACCESS TO THE NATO SUMMIT

43. The NATO Summit Accreditation Office is the single point of entry for the NATO Summit media centre as from 10 July at 9 a.m. It can be accessed by train, tram and bus routes from the centre of Brussels and from Brussels International airport.
44. The Belgian authorities will provide all accredited media with a 72h Free Public Transport Pass and public transport map in a bid to promote sustainable mobility.
45. The Accreditation Office will be within walking distance from BORDET train station. It will be next to a parking lot of 400 places (first-come first-served), secured 24/7 during the opening hours of the media centre. It will also include bicycle parking and a drop off point.

ACCOMMODATION & CATERING

46. Media must make their own accommodation arrangements in Brussels. Information provided by the Belgian Brussels Capital regional authorities can be found here:

https://chancellery.belgium.be/en/NATO.
Brussels Tourism Office
https://visit.brussels/en/category/hotels
Flanders Tourism
www.visitflanders.be

Wallonia Tourism
http://walloniabelgiumtourism.co.uk/

47. Aramark will provide catering options at commercial rates for media representatives throughout the opening hours of the media centre.

CONTACT INFORMATION

48. Several email contacts are provided in order to cope with the large number of queries we expect on Summit-related issues, and to ensure prompt replies.

Press Queries and Interview Requests

• Press Queries: moc@hq.nato.int or +32 2 707 50 41
• Requests for interviews of NATO Secretary General: moc@hq.nato.int
• Requests for interviews of Delegation officials: delegations concerned

Media Operations

• Accreditation: natoaccreditations@hq.nato.int
• Pool access, logistics : natomediaoperations@hq.nato.int
• Stand-up positions: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int – subject: stand-ups
• Satellite van: broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int – Subject: Sat-Van
• TV/Radio edit booths: newsoperations@eurovision.net – Subject: NATO
• TV Studio: Booked by the delegation accepting the interview.
• B-roll and video distribution:    content@natomultimedia.tv

NATO Summit Media Coordination
Mr. Damien ARNAUD – last name.first name [at] hq.nato.int.
Ms. Alina COCA – last name.first name [at] hq.nato.int

Belgian Authorities Media Coordination
FPS Chancellery of the Prime Minister
Media queries: pressnato@belgium.be