The answer is not a single authority: the process has two stages and two decision points.
Stage 1 — The Directorate: Initial Review
Article 29 of the Press Card Regulation defines the Directorate's role. Under the first paragraph it may request information and documents about applicants from:
- Press and broadcasting professional bodies
- Governorates
- The Directorate General of Judicial Records and Statistics
- Tax offices
- The Social Security Institution
- The Directorate General of Population and Citizenship Affairs
- The Press Advertising Agency
- Any other institution it considers necessary
The second paragraph creates the first decision point: applications by those whom the Directorate determines, from the information gathered, do not meet the conditions in Articles 8 or 9 are refused, and the applicant is notified using the contact details in the declaration.
Third paragraph: files of persons found to have applied in due form and to have no bar to a press card are referred to the Commission.
Stage 2 — The Commission: The Substantive Decision
Sub-paragraph (a) of Article 33/1 gives the Commission its core power: to decide on the acceptance or refusal of a press card request by assessing the applicant's qualifications, professional work, published works and awards.
Article 35/2 elaborates: the Commission decides by assessing the applicant's qualifications, professional work, published works, awards and the qualities of the media organisation they belong to.
| Stage | Authority | What it reviews | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Directorate | The conditions in Arts. 8 and 9 — an objective check | Art. 29 |
| 2 | The Commission | Qualifications, professional work, published works, awards and the qualities of the organisation — discretion | Arts. 33, 35 |
Who Approves the Declaration?
The application document itself also has an approval step. Article 28/2: the printout of the declaration completed electronically is approved by the owners of the media organisation or persons registered as authorised in the trade registry. At organisations using the Directorate's system with a password, this approval is made electronically.
Cases Not Requiring a Commission Decision
| Case | Who decides | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement for loss or wear | The Directorate, without a Commission decision | Art. 45/4 |
| Starting work during a free-card period | The Directorate, without a Commission decision | Art. 37/3 |
| Renewal of a card whose validity has expired | The Directorate, without a further Commission decision | Art. 47 |
A Refusal Is Reasoned
Article 35/5: the Commission's decisions are recorded in minutes, and the reasons for decisions refusing applications are annexed to the minutes. What can be done on a refusal is covered in the refusal article.
Bottom Line
A press card application runs in two stages: the Directorate checks the conditions under Article 29 and refuses those who do not meet them; the files of those who do are referred to the Press Card Commission, which decides on acceptance or refusal. The declaration printout is approved by the media organisation's owner or an authorised person in the trade registry.