Who Reports on Europe? Structure and Transformation of the Corps of Correspondents in Brussels (2000-2024)

Abstract

This study examines the evolution of the structural profile of correspondents accredited to the institutions of the European Union between 2002 and 2024, as well as its relationship with citizen engagement in the European project. Based on an original database of journalists in Brussels, the analysis considers variables such as gender, type of media outlet, and nationality, together with informational density by country, measured as the proportion of correspondents relative to the population of each Member State. These data are linked to indicators of public interest in European affairs and to participation in the 2024 European Parliament elections. The results show a sustained but asymmetrical growth in the number of accredited correspondents in Brussels over the past two decades. There is a clear concentration of correspondents in countries with greater media, economic, and demographic weight, as well as in the host country itself. This disparity indicates that access to and coverage of European politics largely depend on the structures of national media systems, contributing to an uneven integration of European issues into news agendas and, consequently, to the fragmentation of the European public sphere. The analysis also reveals a gradual transformation of the media ecosystem toward a hybrid model in which traditional media coexist with new digital actors. From a gender perspective, there has been an improvement in female representation, although structural inequalities persist. Finally, the findings point to a partial relationship between informational density and citizen engagement, conditioned by political, institutional, and contextual factors.