UPDATED - Informal meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Berlin, Germany

GENERAL

1. An informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs will be held in Berlin, Germany, on 14-15 May 2022. The meeting will be chaired by the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana.

VENUE

2. The ministerial meeting will take place at the German Federal Foreign Office, Werderscher Markt 1, 10117 Berlin. A number of press briefing rooms, doorstep facilities and stand-up positions will be located at the German Federal Foreign Office.
3. The Media Centre, including the main press conference room, will be located within walking distance, at the Kronprinzenpalais, Unter den Linden 3, 10117 Berlin.

PROGRAMME 

4. The detailed programme is available HERE
    
5. Information about individual ministers' media programmes should be sought directly from their national delegation(s). A list of NATO delegation press officers will be available at the Information Desk of the Media Centre, as well as by email at NATOMediaOperations[at]hq.nato.int.

 MEDIA ACCREDITATION 

6. Due to space restrictions and COVID-19 safety measures, there are limitations on the number of media representatives allowed to cover the event in person.
    
7. The accreditation for attendance in person is now closed. Media representatives who have successfully been accredited will have received confirmation by email. Media representatives are encouraged to bring a printout of the confirmation email when collecting their badge.
    
8. Accredited media representatives should collect their media passes in person from the Accreditation Office. They will need to show an ID card or passport, and, whenever possible, a valid national press pass.
    
9. The Accreditation Office is on the ground floor of the Media Centre: Kronprinzenpalais, Unter den Linden 3, 10117 Berlin. The opening hours are: 

   Saturday 14 May 10:00 – 19:00
   Sunday 15 May 06:00 – 12:00

10. Media passes must be visible at all times. Security personnel may ask to see another form of ID. Media representatives 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.

ACCESS

11. Physical access to the ministerial venue and Media Centre will be granted only to individuals who can present a vaccination or a recovery certificate (at least 28 days and no more than 90 days old), and a personal ID.
12. All accredited media representatives can attend the press conference of the NATO Deputy Secretary General and the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany on May 15.
13. Only accredited media representatives can access the ministerial venue (Federal Foreign Office). They will need to undergo additional security checks to enter.

BROADCAST

14. The German Public Television ARD will operate as the Host Broadcaster.
15. The doorsteps, the opening remarks of the first NAC meeting on Sunday, as well as the joint press conference of the Deputy Secretary General and the German Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be broadcast in the Media Centre and on the NATO website.
16. Live satellite feeds of the main media events will be provided by NATO free of charge without encryption or downlink charges. The video and audio may be used only for appropriate news and public affairs uses.
17. After each event, the videos are available for free download from NATO Multimedia.

POOLS

18. Access to two media moments will be arranged in media pools, by invitation only. These moments are:
    1. Start of the first meeting session on Sunday 15 May
    2. Official photo
19. The distribution of the pool cards will be done at the Information Desk in the Media Centre during the following timeframes:

    Saturday 14 May 16:00 – 19:00
    Sunday 15 May 06:30 – 10:00

20. Media representatives who accept a NATO pool position must share immediately all information and material collected while in the pool with any accredited media that request it, at no charge and with no restriction on the use of the material for news purposes.
21. Media organisations that want pooled images should first contact the wire service / photo agency of which they are a member / 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.
22. NATO and Host Nation photographers and videographers will provide video clips and photos of all the media events for posting to the NATO website; photos can be downloaded from www.nato.int.
23. There will be several pool movements between the Media Centre and the Federal Foreign Office. The pools will be escorted by security officers.
24. Accredited journalists can move unaccompanied between the media centre and the Federal Foreign Office, for example to use the stand up area. Journalists who want to enter the Federal Foreign Office unaccompanied must undergo another baggage and identity check.

DOORSTEPS

25. Doorsteps will take place on Saturday 14 May from 17:00 to 19:00 and on Sunday 15 May from 07:30 to 09:00. The NATO Deputy Secretary General will do his doorstep on Sunday 15 May at 08:00. The doorstep area is located at the Federal Foreign Office.
26. Access to the doorstep area will be available only to accredited media representatives, via the Media Centre. Journalists will be escorted from the Media Centre to the doorstep area and back.
27. Movement from the Media Centre to the doorstep venue will take about 10 minutes. If you want to cover doorstep opportunities, please ensure you have picked up your accreditation, are at the meeting point (Information Desk of the Media Centre) and are ready depart according to the schedule below.
28. On Saturday 14 May, journalists will be escorted to the doorstep location from the Media Centre (Information Desk). They can return to the Media Centre without escort. The following escort and departure schedule will be maintained:
    1. Group 1 – departure at 16:15
    2. Group 2 – departure at 16:30
    3. Group 3 – departure at 16:45
29. On Sunday 15 May, journalists will be escorted to the doorstep location from the Media Centre (Information Desk). They can return to the Media Centre without escort. The following escort and departure schedule will be maintained:
    1. Group 1 – departure at 07:15
    2. Group 2 – departure at 07:30
    3. Group 3 – departure at 07:45
30. Space in the doorstep area is limited. Measures may be taken to ensure that as many media representatives as possible have access to the location (e.g. by asking people to return to the Media Centre to free up space for others).

MEDIA FACILITIES

31. The Media Centre will be open as follows:

    Saturday, 14 May 2022 from 16.00 to 22.00
    Sunday, 15 May 2022 from 6.00 to 18.00

32. Journalists who want to drop off equipment before 16:00 on Saturday 14 May can do so after picking up their accreditation badge as of 10:00.
33. The Media Centre will have the following facilities:
    1. A filing centre (including TV/radio editing area), with electricity (230V), access to video and audio feeds, cabled and Wi-Fi internet. Working spaces cannot be booked in advance;
    2. Information Desk;
    3. Host TV Master Control;
    4. A large press conference room;
    5. A limited number of radio and TV booths. Please book the radio and TV-booths at the press information desk. All-day bookings cannot be accepted;
    6. Internal Television Circuit for live and recorded broadcasts, information about the program, press conferences schedules and other information;
    7. Outdoor stand-up areas (at Werderscher Markt 1 in front of the main entrance of the Federal Foreign Office);
    8. Catering

34. In addition, a number of press briefing rooms, doorstep facilities and stand-up positions will be located at the German Federal Foreign Office.
35. Please note that there will be no dedicated space for satellite vans or parking facilities for the media.

STAND-UP POSITIONS

36. A limited number of indoor stand-up positions are available at the Media Centre. Outside of the time-frame of the doorsteps, accredited media representatives can use the doorstep area at the Federal Foreign Office for stand-ups and media engagements with ministers. To do that, they can go without escort from the Media Centre to the Federal Foreign Office (Werderscher Markt 1). They will need to undergo security checks before entering the premises.
37. Outdoor stand-up positions are available to accredited media at the Media Centre (ground floor).
38. Accredited media representatives can also use the area across the street from the Federal Foreign Office’s main entrance, for stand-ups (Werderscher Markt 1) - near the Baerenbrunnen statue; see map below. Media representatives who go there will need to undergo a security check when they return to the Media Centre.
    
    

39. Outdoor stand-up positions with attractive visuals of Berlin are also available to all media near the Media Centre and the Federal Foreign Office (near the river). This area is outside the security perimeter. Media representatives who go there will need to undergo a security check when they return to the Media Centre.

HYGIENE MEASURES

In order to help protect yourselves and others, please adhere to the following guidelines:

• Keep a distance of at least 1.5m from other people – and where that is not possible, always wear a mask.
• You are required to wear a mask in all parts of the Kronprinzenpalais building.
• You may take off your masks when seated at your work stations and at the tables in the catering area.
• Please refrain from shaking hands and any other physical contact.
• Wash/disinfect your hands regularly.
• Sneeze and cough into the crook of your arm.
• If you feel unwell please stay at home.
• Masks and disinfectant products will be available at the Information Desk

ACCOMMODATION, TRANSPORT, TRAVEL

40. Media should make their own arrangements.

CONTACT POINTS

Overall Coordination
Ms Irina Novakova
NATO Media Coordinator
Telephone: +32 (0)2 707 1003
natomediaoperations@hq.nato.int

Ms Katinka Cornelsen
German Media Coordinator
Telephone: +49 (0) 30 5000 4073
013-team@auswaertiges-amt.de

Accreditation
Ms Louis Reid
Telephone: +32 (0)  2 707 1008
NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int

Broadcast arrangements
Mr Bart Vandendorpe
Telephone: +32(0)2707 3578
Vandendorpe.Bart@hq.nato.int

Mr Werner Melzer
ARD-Hauptstadtstudio
Telephone: +49 170 22 88 509
werner.melzer@ard-hauptstadtstudio.de

NATO  Video on demand
www.natomultimedia.tv
Telephone: +32 (0)2 707 12 27
content@natomultimedia.tv

OPENING HOURS

Accreditation desk opening hours:
Saturday, 14 May 2022 from 10.00 to 19.00
Sunday, 15 May 2022 from 6.00 to 12.00

Media centre opening hours:
Saturday, 14 May 2022 from 16.00 to 22.00
Sunday, 15 May 2022 from 6.00 to 18.00