From AEJ Belgium
About the Conference
Welcome to the 2025 conference of the Association of European Journalists, an organization founded in 1962 on the belief that a unified media voice is essential for Europe’s future. From its beginnings with 70 journalists from six nations, defending press freedom remains as urgent as ever. We gather in Brussels as a network of over 15 national sections, carrying forward this legacy of collaboration and ethical journalism.
Recent developments like the European Media Freedom Act mark a significant new chapter and during the Conference discussions will therefore center on navigating this new landscape, combatting misinformation, and upholding the rights of journalists.
We are honoured to be joined by leading voices who will share their insights and experiences.
Speakers
Teresa Anjinho The European Ombudsman – Keynote Speaker She was sworn in as European Ombudsman on 27 February 2025, following her election by the European Parliament in December 2024. As European Ombudsman, she is responsible for investigating maladministration within the institutions, bodies, offices, and agencies of the European Union.
Renate Schroeder Director, European Federation of Journalists Renate Schroeder is Director of the European Federation of Journalists in Brussels.
Birte Schohaus Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Follow the Money – Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism Winner Birte Schohaus is Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Follow the Money, where she contributes to collaborative investigations into financial, political and corporate power in Europe. Her cross-border work on Russia’s shadow fleet, “Who Is Behind the Russian Shadow Fleet?”, was produced in partnership with thirteen newsrooms and forty journalists, and was recognised with the 2025 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism.
Birte also teaches investigative journalism at Hogeschool Utrecht, holds a PhD in journalism studies, and speaks publicly on European media, politics and social topics.
Francesca Festa Co-Founder of the Sphera Network and Associate Director of Development at Médianes Born in Milan and based in Paris, she is an Associate Development Director at Médianes and co-founder of the Sphera Network, where she guides media with social impact through strategic transformation.
Sphera started as an EU funded project and it is a network of independent media offering several options: video reports and features, podcasts, social media content and events across the continent. Sphera presents a more humane and socially-engaged cross-border European journalism.
Justin Jin How to Create Pictures Worth a Thousand Words: Lessons from a National Geographic Photographer. Justin Jin began his career writing stories for Reuters before picking up the camera and becoming a National Geographic photographer and explorer. Today, he is working on assignments from the Arctic to Asia, mastering how to turn complex ideas into powerful visuals. In this talk, Justin, who is based in Brussels, takes the audience behind the lens with vivid examples — showing how storytelling visuals are planned and executed.
Elena Sánchez Nicolás President of AEJ Belgium and Editor in chief at EUobserver Elena is the president of AEJ Belgium. She is from Spain and joined AEJ Belgium in 2017. Elena is an accredited journalist, working for the online newspaper EUobserver. She covers institutional affairs, climate change, and tech policy, and likes to illustrate data and trends with infographics. She also moderates online, in-person, and hybrid events.
Before joining EUobserver, she worked on European affairs at Brussels-based think tank VoteWatch Europe and the Spanish news agency EFE. She holds an MA in New Media and Society in Europe from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and an MA in Transmedia Journalism from UNED.
Neil Corlett Head of Press, European Parliament Neil Corlett leads the Press Unit in the European Parliament, supporting journalists and media teams reporting on parliamentary affairs and events.
Piotr Bartoszewicz-Malicki Head of the European Parliament Info Hub Piotr Bartoszewicz-Malicki heads the European Parliament’s Info Hub where he coordinates activities, briefings and outreach for citizens and journalists visiting the Parliament’s public spaces.
Constanze Itzel Museum Director of The House of European History Constanze Itzel has been director of the House of European History in Brussels since 2017. She helped create the museum as an adviser and curator from 2009 to 2017. Her PhD thesis explores the impact of the late medieval image debate on art. Constanze has worked as a teaching assistant at the University of Heidelberg and as a curator at the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe, and has been a freelancer and intern in five other museums in Germany and France. Since 2005, she has worked in Brussels, first as a researcher and later as a committee administrator for the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament, and then on the House of European History.
The Programme
Thursday, November 13
- 18:00-21:00 Welcome reception at Press Club Brussels Europe (optional)
Friday, November 14 – Conference (Info Hub at the European Parliament)
- 10:40 Welcome word by Elena Sánchez Nicolás (President, AEJ Belgium)
- 10:45 Welcome word by Neil Corlett (Head of Press, European Parliament)
- 10:50 Welcome word by Piotr Bartoszewicz-Malicki (Head of Info Hub, European Parliament)
- 11:00 Keynote Speech (European Ombudsman)
- 11:30–12:45 Panel on the State of journalism in Europe
- 12:45-13:00 Group photo and coffee break
- 13:00-13:30 Case study National Geographic
- 13:30-15:00 Break
- 15:00 Visit the House of European History (House of European History)
- 19:00 Gala dinner at Mont des Arts – AEJ Members Only (VisitBrussels)
Saturday, November 15 – General Assembly (AEJ Members Only – Press Club Brussels Europe)
- 09:00–13:00 General Assembly
- 13:00 Lunch and start Leisure program
Sunday, November 16
- Leisure program (optional, for more information see the section below))
Venues
Press Club Brussels Europe Rue Froissart 95, 1040 Brussels The location for the welcome reception and the General Assembly. 
© European Union 2020 – Source: EP – Reference: EP-103731A Photographer: Daina Le Lardic
European Parliament – Info Hub Rue Wiertz 60, 1047 Bruxelles The most suitable place for a Conference about Journalism and Europe 
© European Union 2020 – Source: EP – EP-103202A Photographer: Daina Le Lardic
House of European History Rue Belliard 135, 1040 Bruxelles Guided tour with welcome word by director Constanze Itzel
Mont des Arts – Salle des Guichets (Visit.Brussels) Rue Royale 2-4, 1000 Bruxelles The location for the Gala dinner.
Original article from AEJ Belgium
Please see here for all reports on the 2025 Congress
