Commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the First World War in Nieuwpoort and Ypres on 28 October 2014: ACCREDITATION

A. General information

On Tuesday, 28 October, ceremonies attended by the King and Queen of Belgium and many international heads of state will be held in Nieuwpoort and Ypres to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the flooding of the Yser plain.

Timetable of the day's events:

• 3 – 4 p.m.: Official ceremony of remembrance at the King Albert Monument in Nieuwpoort: speech by the King of Belgium and the French and German High Representatives, historical accounts, short commemorative film made by the Ministry of Defence, artistic and symbolic interludes, laying of wreaths, minute's silence and firing of cannons, closing music
• 5.30 – 6.30 p.m.: The Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres (Ieper): speech by the Belgian Prime Minister and the UK High Representative, The Last Post, minute's silence, moments of reflection and historical accounts, lament played on the bagpipes, laying of wreaths, closing music

B. Accreditation and registration for a press pool

Accreditation is required for the media both for access to the press centre and to the various press zones which will be set up at the various locations where the day's events are taking place.

Please complete the online accreditation form at www.be14-18.be. Applications for accreditation and press zone registration must be submitted between 23 September and 15 October 2014. Applications for accreditation received after those dates will not be considered.

To be accredited, you will need:

• your passport number or identity card number;
• your press card number, if applicable;
• a digital passport-style photo.

So as to ensure efficient communication, if the application is being submitted by a third party, this third party must indicate the e-mail address of the person to be accredited.

You can then choose to register for a press zone either in Nieuwpoort or in Ypres. It is not possible to register for both ceremonies. You will need to indicate the type of pool you would like to join:

• live television broadcast (technician, cameraman, soundman, reporter, producer, editor, etc.);
• cameraman only (recording using a handheld camera);
• photographer;
• radio;
• printed/online press.

For Belgian nationals, a security clearance certificate (provided at the end of the form) will also need to be completed, signed and scanned and submitted with the application for accreditation.

After a security check has been carried out by the relevant authorities, you will receive an e-mail to inform you whether your application has been successful. This will be followed by confirmation of your allocation to a pool.

C. Press centre

A press centre for both ceremonies will be set up at Stedelijke Vismijn, Kaaiplein 1, 8620 Nieuwpoort. The press centre will feature workstations with a Wi-Fi connection and live broadcasts of the events.

Opening hours:

• Monday, 27 October 2014: 2 p.m. – 8 p.m.;
• Tuesday, 28 October 2014: 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.

D. Practical information

You will be sent detailed practical information about the day's events, access to the press centre, picking up the live signal from the VRT (the host broadcaster), photos and so on after receiving your general confirmation of accreditation for the events.

Contact details for further information:
Directorate-General for External Communication
Federal Public Service Chancellery of the Prime Minister
28-10-2014@premier.fed.be