AV Portal

One stop shop for EU audiovisual material

We are the EU related news and archive service providing indispensable information tailored for professionals in the media. We supply up to the minute audiovisual news coverage to the media around the world and deliver unique archive on the history of the EU.

We offer video, photo and sound coverage of European news. We also provide assistance for journalists wishing to cover EU subjects.

Get the sights and sounds of Europe directly onto your screen via the Internet and via Europe by Satellite. All our materials are available in professional standards. European audiovisual material dating from the 1940s is also available.

We supply unbiased and reliable news services to broadcasters, news agencies, written press, and anyone who seeks to spread information on the activities carried out by the European Commission and other EU institutions.

On this site, we provide an overview of the products and distribution means on offer, as well as the technical services available in Brussels. We are committed to expanding and adapting our products and services in order to offer you information you can trust because of its depth and its breadth, its speed and its accuracy. Information that is easy to find and to use, in fact, the information that you need.

AV Library

HARD DRIVE

Europe's living audiovisual memory

The Audiovisual Library represents the largest audiovisual collection in the world on the European integration process, covering all major steps of EU history since 1945.

This content can be accessed via the Audiovisual Portal with its extensive retrieval facilities, direct viewing and downloading of media at professional quality. On-line access is given to an important part of the collections.

Frontdesk

The Audiovisual library Frontdesk provides professional research services, both for the digital and analogue holdings of the AV Library, and can deliver the footage within short delays by different means such as ftp, mail or courier service.

The services of the AV Library include long-term preservation and distribution of the productions, their publication on the Audiovisual Portal as well as their technical and legal check.

Furthermore, the AV Library offers copyright clearance, advice and training related to audiovisual productions.

Collection

The Audiovisual Library represents the largest audiovisual collection in the world on the European integration process, covering all major steps of EU history since 1945

Europeana

The Audiovisual Library is cooperating since 2013 with Europeana, the European digital library with currently over 30 million digitised books, paintings, films, photos, museum objects and archival records. The AV Library is publishing on a regularly basis a constantly increasing dataset of its videos and photos.

Central Deposit

The Central Deposit is an initiative launched by the AV Library with the aim of preventing the loss of DGs' costly video and photo productions and of making them accessible more widely on a permanent basis. The service includes long-term preservation and distribution of the productions, their publication on the Audiovisual Portal as well as their technical and legal check.

Beluga

Beluga is the library's corporate media management system. Beluga manages the collections of the library with their extensive metadata, but is also at the disposal of interested DGs. DGs may manage with Beluga their own audiovisual collections, share them with the Audiovisual Library – thereby contributing to the Audiovisual Portal as central access point – and publish their content on the DG's websites.

Archival Research

The content can be accessed via the Audiovisual Portal with its extensive retrieval facilities, direct viewing and downloading of media at professional quality. On-line access is given to an important part of the collections.

Frontdesk

The Frontdesk provides professional research services, both for the digital and analogue holdings of the AV Library, and can deliver the footage within short delays by different means such as ftp, mail or courier service.

Europe by Satellite

Sharing the sights and sounds of Europe

EbS, the European Union's TV information service, was launched in 1995 and provides EU related audiovisual material via satellite to media professionals. The programming consists of a mix of live events, news items, stockshots on EU policies and issues. EbS offers Institutional content from the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the European Central Bank and other institutions.

Live coverage of press conferences and briefings from the institutions, EP plenary sessions, European Councils; Stockshots, info clips and Video News Releases produced by the Audiovisual Services and other EU institutions; On line streaming of live and on demand EbS items up to 7 days following the original transmission; On line broadcast quality video and audio files (MPEG2 and MP3 respectively) available for download directly from the website.

EbS footprint

EbS is transmitted using a non-encrypted signal which can be received using easily available equipment.

It can be seen in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Newsdesk

EbS teams ensure news coverage of events taking place in the institutions of the European Union: meetings, official visits, press conferences, signing of treaties.

Wherever news happens, in Europe or elsewhere, major events in the construction of Europe and statements by major European personalities are recorded as they take place.

They are made immediately available to media professionals world-wide. Our live coverage of events, news summaries, info-clips, stockshots and photo reports illustrate the different EU activities and are aimed at helping the international media during the coverage of European events.

Contact: Newsdesk@ec.europa.eu

MCR

Our Master Control Room (MCR) is the technical hub for all our broadcast operations. They are in charge of recordings, satellite transmissions, file ingest and the playout of the EbS channels.

Contact: COMM-Nodal@ec.europa.eu

Technical Assistance

State of the art facilities for 360° technical assistance

The Audiovisual Services of the European Commission situated in the Berlaymont building offers various kinds of assistance and technical facilities to TV and radio journalists. These services are provided free of charge to Radio and TV stations subject to certain relevant priorities and conditions of use.

Requests for technical assistance will be met on a "first come, first served" basis and preference will be given to: Coverage of Community current affairs, Items involving members of the EC, Productions covering priority themes of the European Commission, Radio and TV stations from a Member State or a candidate country, Audience and geographical diversity may also be taken into consideration when deciding on the allocation of facilities.

The use of crews and editing facilities is restricted to a maximum of 2:30 hours (filming, editing and transmission) for each user.

Important information:

Core services can be used free of charge by TV and radio stations, however, all unlisted services must be paid for by the user. Circuit reservation requests (via satellite or fibre optic) must be booked and paid for by the station.

Furthermore, please note that the Commission's participation is limited to that of technical assistance. The Commission is not responsible for the content (editorial line, information, opinions expressed, etc) of the programmes produced.

Media Training

The audiovisual training courses consist in individual tuition covering TV and radio interview techniques. They are aimed at Commissioners, Heads of Cabinet, Directors-General, Directors, Spokespersons, Heads of Delegation and Heads of Representation. Training is given by the Audiovisual Service in cooperation with DG HR/B3 'Training'.

ENG

An ENG crew: cameraman and sound engineer for the coverage of news events. They are also available for technical assistance to media.

For more information contact the AV planning: Planning-Audiovisual@ec.europa.eu

Requests for technical assistance will be met on a "first come, first served" basis and preference will be given to:

  • Coverage of Community current affairs
  • Items involving members of the EC
  • Productions covering priority themes on the Commission's Work programme
  • Radio and TV stations from a Member State or a candidate country
  • Audience and geographical diversity may also be taken into consideration when deciding on the allocation of facilities
  • The use of crews and editing facilities is restricted to a maximum of 2:30 hours (filming, editing and transmission) for each user.

Studios

We have two professional TV studios, both capable of live broadcast and recordings.

TV Studio 1

  • 187 m² area
  • 5.5 m high cyclorama (white / black)
  • Chroma key (green / blue)
  • Karrera video mixer
  • 2 interpreters' cabins
  • One tables for debates (one to 6 persons)
  • 4 LED screens
  • 1 Projection screen
  • 6 GV LDX HD studio cameras
  • Pixelpower Clarity character generator
  • Autocue prompter
  • Full lighting grid

TV Studio 2

  • 70 m² area
  • 5.5 m high cyclorama (white / black)
  • Chroma key (green / blue)
  • Kayak video mixer
  • 2 interpreters' cabins
  • 1 GV LDX HD studio camera
  • Character generator
  • Autocue prompter
  • Full lighting grid

Requests for technical assistance will be met on a "first come, first served" basis and preference will be given to:

  • Coverage of Community current affairs
  • Items involving members of the EC
  • Productions covering priority themes on the Commission's Work programme
  • Radio and TV stations from a Member State or a candidate country
  • Audience and geographical diversity may also be taken into consideration when deciding on the allocation of facilities
  • The use of crews and editing facilities is restricted to a maximum of 2:30 hours (filming, editing and transmission) for each user.

Contact: Planning-Audiovisual@ec.europa.eu

Radio/sound Studios

A professional radio studio for debates and interviews.

  • Capacity : 5 people
  • Filming and live streaming possibilities.
  • 4 LED screens
  • ISDN connection
  • Non-linear editing and mixing (Nuendo)
  • Zephir codec (protocols : G722, layer 2 mono, layer 2 stereo, layer 3 mono, layer 3 stereo)

Editing/graphic Suites

Non-linear server editing system (Stratus), with 5 editing suites (Edius).

Requests for technical assistance will be met on a "first come, first served" basis and preference will be given to:

  • Coverage of Community current affairs
  • Items involving members of the EC
  • Productions covering priority themes on the Commission's Work programme
  • Radio and TV stations from a Member State or a candidate country
  • Audience and geographical diversity may also be taken into consideration when deciding on the allocation of facilities
  • The use of crews and editing facilities is restricted to a maximum of 2:30 hours (filming, editing and transmission) for each user.

3 Graphic suites equipped with the Adobe CC suite (After Effects, Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.).

Social Media

Connect to the EU on your favourite social networks

Social media helps spreading the message to the wide audiences, so when distributing our videos via Social media networks, we are able to reach and inform a large number of viewers.

This is also a good way to target and connect with specialised audiences.

Corporate Video Production

Creating video content for EU citizens

The Corporate Video Production Sector is a key component of the Audiovisual Services of the European Commission. It creates video material aimed at informing stakeholders and citizens at large about EU policies and actions – in particular the 10 political priorities of President Juncker's Commission. Our video productions form an integral part of broader information and communication campaigns, and are widely used across the range of communication platforms used by the European Commission.

With the growth of digital technology and social media, video has become an increasingly popular format to engage with an audience. We use advanced production techniques to create our content, drawing both on our in-house expertise and on the work of specialised contractors.

Vendors' List

DG COMM has published a Vendors' list for audiovisual production and distribution for audiovisual activities, with a view to better serving the European Commission's communication needs and priorities. The list may be used until the 6th of November 2018.

The Vendors' list covers the following services:

A. Production of professional audiovisual material: video graphics and animation; multimedia and digital marketing products; audiovisual production services

B. Dissemination of professional audiovisual material: audience research, measurement and analysis; strategic planning and implementation; online video advertising; institutional public relations

C. Consultancy and training

Details on the use of the Vendors' list by DGs, as well as contacts in DG COMM/A4 Audiovisual services, are provided

Consulting Role

The Corporate Video Production Sector plays an advisory role towards colleagues from the President's, Vice-Presidents' and Commissioners' cabinets, as well as from the various Directorate-Generals of the European Commission. We can help them determine whether the production of a video is actually suited to their communication needs, evaluate the quality of an offer received from an audiovisual contractor for the production of a clip, assess the draft version(s) of a clip produced by the selected company etc.