Welcome to the new era of Brussels diplomacy, where ‘likes’ matter – and so do content creators on social media, who are gaining increasing access to EU institutions, in a high-stakes bet to win over Gen Z.
Facing a generation that increasingly rejects getting news from legacy media, the European Commission, Parliament, Council, and even Nato are courting influencers and content creators to sell their activities to a younger European public.
This isn’t an isolated practice. It is a new shift in political communication.
But as Brussels courts the content-creator economy (estimated at $41.8bn [€36.6bn] in 2026), questions remain about accountability, opaque selection processes, and a fundamental clash with the traditional press — blurring the line between modern public outreach and soft PR.
Content creators traditionally operate in a legal grey area – but there are more and more national rules on, for example, sponsor disclosures. Countries such as France and Germany have tightened disclosure rules requiring influencers to clearly label sponsored or institutional content, following a wave of scandals over undisclosed political and commercial partnerships.
There are no equivalent rules at EU level.
“Creators are not just ‘participants’ – they’re a bridge. They translate what happens at an EU level into human stories. They tell us what resonates, what doesn’t, what confuses, and what inspires,” said Yaëlle Assous, content creator specialist at the European Commission communications department.
Young people are increasingly turning away from traditional news. In this year’s Reuters Digital News Report, 54 percent of respondents said they primarily access news through social media or video platforms.
And according to a 2024 European Parliament survey, 42 percent of Europeans aged 16 to 30 now rely on social media as their primary source of information, outstripping television (39 percent).