The General Secretariat of the Council reminded media outlets on 27 February 2026 that 14:00 CET is the final deadline to apply for an onsite badge to cover the European Council meeting of 19–20 March 2026. While annual badge holders are exempt, hundreds of freelance reporters, camera crews and corporate-communications staff—many of whom are third-country nationals based in Brussels—must complete the EVA online accreditation process and pass a security screening. Global-mobility managers at news agencies and multinational corporations often handle these applications because employment letters, Belgian residence cards or EU press cards are required uploads. Missing the deadline means journalists will need to rely on pooled feeds and will not have access to the Justus Lipsius or Europa buildings’ press areas, limiting real-time coverage and stakeholder engagement. What is new this year is the Council’s integration of Belgium’s eIDAS-compliant digital signature into the platform, removing the need for in-person collection for those with an existing European Council annual badge. However, first-time applicants must still pick up their accreditation in person at the LEX building between 14 and 18 March, which could create bottlenecks; companies are advised to stagger arrivals. The March summit agenda—migration, competitiveness and Ukraine—will draw a record number of non-EU media representatives. In coordination with the Belgian Foreign Ministry, the Council has set up an expedited Schengen visa lane at Brussels Airport for accredited journalists from visa-required countries, mirroring arrangements used during the Informal Leaders’ Retreat earlier in February. Mobility teams should brief arriving staff to carry printed copies of their accreditation confirmation to benefit from the fast-track. Failure to meet today’s cut-off not only hampers live reporting but can also invalidate Schengen visa support letters issued by the Council, potentially resulting in refused boarding. Organisations are therefore treating the 27 February deadline as a hard stop in their travel-planning calendars.
