Bundespressekonferenz
A German journalists' association that independently hosts press conferences with government officials and other nationally significant public figures.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Bundespressekonferenz, commonly abbreviated BPK and translated as Federal Press Conference, is a German journalists' association and an unusual institution in the country's political communications system. It brings together journalists who report for German media and work primarily from Berlin or Bonn. Rather than being organized by the government, ministries, political parties, or individual politicians, its principal press conferences are convened and moderated by journalists themselves. Government spokespersons and representatives of political parties, associations, companies, civic organizations, and other nationally relevant institutions are invited to answer questions from the assembled press. The association was established in 1949 during the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its operating model drew on the practice of journalists in the Weimar Republic, who had organized their own press conferences and invited political actors to appear before them. The BPK was constituted in Bonn shortly after the first federal election. Its inaugural meeting took place in September 1949, the managing committee was elected in October, and the first conference followed later that month with Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and Economics Minister Ludwig Erhard answering questions. The organization became a registered association on 19 May 1953. Membership is restricted to journalists working for German media who report from Berlin or Bonn. Foreign correspondents were initially admitted, but the establishment of the Association of the Foreign Press in Germany in 1951 created a separate institutional framework; members of that association, alongside BPK members, retain the right to attend and ask questions at the federal press conference. By December 2020, the BPK had approximately 900 parliamentary correspondents. Its general assembly is the central governing body and elects an eight-member board whose members take turns chairing press conferences. The federal government press conference is normally held three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Press secretaries of the Federal Government and ministries attend, make short introductory statements, and respond to questions. Journalists operate under professional confidentiality conventions and may respect requests that particular statements be treated as confidential. The arrangement gives correspondents a collective forum in which questioning is controlled by the press rather than by the executive branch. Senior political figures do not always participate: the Federal Chancellor generally appears only occasionally and often holds separate events at the Chancellery. The BPK's institutional history mirrors the political geography of postwar Germany. Its original base was Bonn, where it developed alongside the federal parliament and government. A statutory exclusion of East German correspondents introduced after the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 was removed in 1971. After the fall of the Wall, the association supported the creation of a press conference organization in Berlin, which became its Berlin branch after German reunification. When the federal government and parliament moved to Berlin in 1999, the BPK moved its headquarters as well, while retaining a presence in Bonn. Since 2000 it has operated from its own premises in central Berlin, in a building rented from Allianz, with offices for correspondents and a dedicated conference room. In addition to its core press conferences, the organization supports the professional and social infrastructure of political journalism. Its independent Social Fund assists current or former members and their surviving families in cases of hardship. The fund is supported primarily by proceeds from the annual Federal Press Ball lottery and by occasional donations. Since 2014, the BPK has also awarded a press-freedom prize, represented by a crystal-engraved keyboard, at the Federal Press Ball. The association is funded by membership fees and is not a government agency, political party, commercial media company, or publicly traded enterprise.
History
The institutional ancestry of the Bundespressekonferenz reaches back to press briefings organized during the First World War, but its defining model emerged in the Weimar Republic. Berlin newspaper correspondents organized their own meetings and invited politicians and government representatives to answer questions. This inverted the usual relationship between authority and media: journalists acted as hosts, while public officials appeared as guests. After the Second World War, similar arrangements were revived in the western occupation zones. A state press conference was created in Hanover in 1947, and a Frankfurt press conference operated around the Economic Council in 1948. These organizations anticipated the federal press institution that emerged after the Federal Republic was founded. On 15 September 1949, the day of the first federal election, newspaper correspondents circulated an appeal to accredited parliamentary journalists to establish a federal press conference. An inaugural meeting followed four days later, and the organization was formally constituted on 11 October when its managing committee was elected. The first BPK conference was held in October 1949 in the Federal Council's plenary hall. Konrad Adenauer and Economics Minister Ludwig Erhard answered questions from members. Later meetings were held in the hall of the Defense Committee and, from October 1967, in the press building in Bonn's government district. The association also addressed the practical needs of its members. In the early postwar years, housing was scarce and only a small proportion of journalists qualified for social housing. The BPK therefore helped establish assistance structures, including a social fund for members and surviving dependants. The association's membership rules changed in response to Germany's division. After the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, the statutes excluded correspondents from East Germany. This was described as the only such exclusion of accredited journalists during the more than four decades of the Bonn Republic. The provision was repealed on 8 February 1971, and East German journalists later gained access to the Foreign Press Association framework. Political change in 1989 and 1990 led the BPK to support the creation of a press conference in Berlin. Following reunification, that organization became the BPK's Berlin branch. The final years in Bonn coincided with the decision to move parliament and the federal government to Berlin. The BPK followed the relocation in 1999 but maintained a Bonn office because significant federal functions continued there. In a final Bonn address on 4 August 1999, deputy spokeswoman Charima Reinhardt referred to an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 press conferences held there. Since 2000, the BPK has operated from a central Berlin building designed by Johanne and Gernot Nalbach and completed in 2000. The premises are rented from Allianz and include a press conference hall and offices for correspondents. The association's central practice remains the recurring government press conference, generally held three times a week. Government and ministry press secretaries provide introductory remarks and answer questions, while journalists determine the questioning. This structure distinguishes the BPK from government-controlled press briefings and has made it a notable feature of German political journalism. The association has also developed a broader support role. Its Social Fund, organized as an independent nonprofit association, provides continuing or one-time assistance to journalists and surviving family members experiencing hardship. Its resources come chiefly from the Federal Press Ball lottery and occasional sponsors' donations. Since 2014, the Federal Press Conference Prize has been awarded at the ball to recognize exceptional work in defense of press freedom. The BPK is financed by membership fees and remains a professional association rather than a state institution or commercial enterprise.
- 2014
Press-freedom prize launched
[1]The annual Federal Press Conference Prize began recognizing outstanding contributions to press freedom.
- 2000
Berlin premises opened
[1]The BPK began operating from its central Berlin building, which includes a dedicated conference hall and correspondent offices.
- 1999
Headquarters relocated from Bonn to Berlin
[1]The association followed parliament and the federal government to Berlin while retaining a Bonn presence.
- 1990
Berlin press conference supported
[1]The BPK supported the creation of a press conference organization in Berlin, later incorporated as its Berlin branch.
- 1971
Exclusion provision repealed
[1]The statutory exclusion of East German journalists was removed on 8 February.
- 1967
Press building in Bonn becomes the regular venue
[1]The BPK moved its Bonn press conferences to the press building in the federal government district.
- 1961
East German correspondents excluded under amended statutes
[1]Following construction of the Berlin Wall, the association adopted a provision excluding correspondents from East Germany.
- 1953
Registered-association status established
[1]The BPK was registered as an association on 19 May.
- 1951
Foreign correspondents receive a separate association
[1]The Association of the Foreign Press in Germany was established, clarifying the institutional relationship between domestic and foreign correspondents.
- 1949
Bundespressekonferenz constituted in Bonn
[1]Parliamentary correspondents created the association during the formation of the Federal Republic; its first conference featured Konrad Adenauer and Ludwig Erhard.
Products and positioning
An independent, journalist-led forum for questioning Germany's federal government and other nationally important actors. Its defining proposition is that the press, rather than the government, controls the invitation and questioning framework.
Press briefing forum · 1949
Federal Press Conference
The BPK's central service is a recurring press conference in which journalists question spokespersons of the Federal Government and its ministries. The meetings are journalist-hosted rather than government-hosted, giving correspondents control over invitations, questions, and follow-up. They normally take place three times per week in Berlin, with the organization maintaining a presence in Bonn.
Member welfare institution
Social Fund of the Bundespressekonferenz
An independent nonprofit institution associated with BPK members. It provides continuing assistance or one-time grants to current or former journalists and surviving family members facing hardship. Decisions are made after individual cases are reviewed, and funding comes chiefly from the Federal Press Ball lottery and occasional donations.
Press-freedom award · 2014
Federal Press Conference Prize
An annual award presented at the Federal Press Ball since 2014. Symbolized by a crystal-engraved keyboard, it recognizes exceptional efforts supporting press freedom and has been given to journalists working for Reuters, Der Spiegel, ARD, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and Phoenix.
Brand decisions
1999
Move the headquarters to BerlinStrategyBackground
The federal parliament and government relocated from Bonn to Berlin after German reunification.
Action taken
The BPK transferred its headquarters to Berlin and kept a branch in Bonn.
Aftermath
The move aligned the association with the new center of federal politics while preserving access to institutions that remained in Bonn.
1971
Remove the East German exclusion provisionStrategyBackground
The association reconsidered the membership restriction imposed after the Berlin Wall was built.
Action taken
On 8 February, the exclusion paragraph was deleted from the statutes.
Aftermath
The change ended the formal exclusion of East German correspondents from the BPK's membership rules.
1961
Exclude East German correspondents from membershipStrategyBackground
The amendment followed the construction of the Berlin Wall and the hardening division between East and West Germany.
Action taken
The statutes introduced an exclusion affecting correspondents from East Germany.
Aftermath
The provision remained in force for almost a decade and was removed in February 1971.
Recent events
- 2014
Bundespressekonferenz press-freedom prize introduced[1]
Campaign
The association began presenting an annual prize at the Federal Press Ball to honor notable contributions to press freedom.
- 1999
Headquarters move followed the relocation of Germany's government to Berlin[1]
Other
After the federal government and parliament moved from Bonn to Berlin, the BPK transferred its headquarters while retaining a Bonn branch.
- 1971
Statutory exclusion of East German correspondents removed[1]
Other
The association removed the provision adopted after the construction of the Berlin Wall that had excluded East German correspondents from membership.
- 1949
Bundespressekonferenz founded during the creation of the Federal Republic[1]
Other
Parliamentary correspondents in Bonn established the association as a journalist-led forum for questioning federal political representatives.
Sources2 sources
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