Informal Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers

1. Information

Defence Ministers will hold informal meetings in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October 2009, under the chairmanship of the NATO Secretary General, Mr Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The Minister of Defence of Slovakia, His Excellency Mr Jaroslav Baška, will host the meetings.

2. Programme and pools

The detailed Media Programme will be available upon accreditation. All duly accredited media representatives are invited to a Media reception that will take place on 22nd october in the evening.

Via a system of pools, a restricted number of visual media will be invited to cover events with limited access. All media events will be transmitted live to the Media Centre via closed circuit TV. By accepting a pool card, cameramen and photographers agree, if asked, to share their material with colleagues who have not had direct access to the venue. First, however, and because NATO endeavours to give access to large photo agencies, photographers & cameramen who have not gained access to a pool will first contact the photo/TV agency of which they are a client.

Pool cards will be available for pick-up from the Media Centre Information Desk from 10:00 on Thursday, 22 October 2009.

3. Public Diplomacy event

At the margins of the Defence Ministerial, the Slovak Atlantic Commission is organizing a conference “New Challenges, Better Capabilities”, which will be held on 21st and 22nd October 2009 in the historical building of the National Council (Župné námesti 12, Bratislava). Interested press please contact Mr. Milan Suplata (milan.suplata@ata-sac.org). 

4. Venue

The Incheba Expo Arena (Viedenská cesta 3 – 7, Bratislava) is the venue for the ministerial meetings. The Media Centre will be located in the Hall D of Incheba. The Media Accreditation Office will be located in the Incheba Hotel (Viedenská cesta 3 - 7), nearby Incheba Expo Arena.

5. Accreditation and security checks

Media representatives wishing to cover the ministerial meetings need to request accreditation. Applications for accreditation can only be made electronically on-line via internet by clicking on the following link: https://my.hq.nato.int/

The accreditation process requires interested media representatives to create a user name and password and to provide a digital picture (3.5 x 4.5 cm passport-size photograph in JPEG format). Applications for accreditation should be made no later than noon on 19 October 2009. Applications received after that date may encounter delay or be rejected. Media representatives having completed the request for accreditation on the internet must bring a print-out of the request confirmation.

Media representatives who already have an account in the system are requested to follow a few short steps, due to the modernisation of the accreditation platform. Please click on the link above (https://my.hq.nato.int/). On the right side on the web page, click on the link ‘’forgot password’’ (1) and enter your e-mail address which appears in your registered profile(2) (a access code will be sent to it). After that, click on ‘’forgot password’’ button (3) and check your email. Please return to the Welcome page (https://my.hq.nato.int/) and click on registered user (second bullet). You will be invited to enter your email address and the access code sent to you. You can change this password/access code after your first login.

If you encounter any connection problem, you can contact us by email (bellanger.thomas@hq.nato.int).

Access to the Media Centre requires a media pass issued at the Accreditation Office. Media passes will not be mailed to applicants and must be picked up in person at the Media Accreditation Office upon presentation of a valid I.D. card or passport and a valid press card (or letter of accreditation from a recognized media organization).

Passes must be worn visibly at all times and secondary identification may always be asked for by security personnel. Media representatives are informed that security personnel will examine and may test equipment and personal effects carried onto the site, and they are advised to arrive with sufficient lead time to clear security checks.

Television and radio broadcasters, wire services and photo agencies bringing bulky equipment are particularly urged to bring it into the Media Centre on Wednesday, 21 October 2009.

6. Hours of operation

7. Broadcasting

The host nation is setting up 12 television and 8 radio editing booths located in the Media Centre. A TV studio, a radio interview room as well as 1 inside and 2 outdoor stand-up positions will also be made available.

Satellite uplink trucks and O.B. vans will be parked next to the Hall D.

The Host Broadcaster, Slovak Television, will provide live coverage of arrivals of delegations, the public sessions of all meetings, and major international news conferences. Slovak Television will provide the signal and technical assistance. For enquiries or to book a TV studio or TV editing booth, please contact:

Mrs. Jana Majorová
mobile: +421 904 914 453
e-mail: mailto:jana.majorova@stv.sk

The Radio Broadcaster, Slovak Radio, will provide and manage the radio studio. For enquiries or to book the radio studio and radio editing booths, please contact:

Mrs Slavomíra Kubičková
mobile: +421 0903 439 376
E-mail: kubickova@slovakradio.sk

8. Communications

Laptop computers will need to be equipped with RJ 45 plugs in order to be able to connect to the LAN high-speed communication network in the Media Centre. In addition, ISDN lines will be available for radio transmissions, both in the media working area and in several radio editing booths.

Please check if you need to use a Euro ISDN standard adaptor. Electricity supply in Slovakia is at 230 volts and plugs have three round pins.

9. Accommodation

Media representatives are encouraged to stay at the designated media Hotel, Incheba, which is colocated with the Accreditation office and the media centre itself.

Hotel Incheba
Viedenská cesta 3-7
851 01 Bratislava
Slovakia
reception
T +421 2 6727 2000, 3121
F +421 2 6727 2542
E hotel@incheba.sk, http://www.incheba.sk/

Point of contact:
Mrs. Drahomíra Leskovská
Tel +421 2 6727 2541
Fax +421 2 67 27 2542
E-mail dleskovska@incheba.sk

Reservations for rooms are on a first-come first-served basis and the deadline for booking is 21 September 2009. To reserve a room, you can send your order via email to hotel@incheba.sk. Please mention in the email that this is in connection to the NATO Meeting.

10. Transport

Media representatives are invited to make their own way to their hotel and to the media centre. The recommended media hotel, the Accreditation Office and the Media Centre are all colocated at the incheba site.

There will be no parking facilities there, except for those who have checked into the Incheba hotel. Additional parking is available in Aupark shopping centre, approximately 500 meters from Incheba.

There are numerous ways to travel to and from Bratislava. The host nation recommends to travel by plane (Bratislava airport), but it is also possible to travel by train (from Prague, Budapest and Vienna), or by bus (from many European cities) as well as by boat (from Vienna).

11. Enquiries

Tel: +32 (0)2 707 50 41, Fax: +32 (0)2 707 50 57
press@hq.nato.int - http://www.nato.int/home.htm