Mr. Séamus Dooley:

I suppose the answer to that question is that the EU has not done so, in the sense that what Deputy Ó Laoghaire is talking about is journalistic behaviour. It is to allow for action which has a journalistic purpose. Journalists are ordinary citizens as well. I mentioned France because it is the only country in Europe of which I am aware that has a licensing system. The bar is that journalists must be acting in the public interest, for the public good and must be behaving in a particular way and be able to access information for journalistic purposes. That purpose is above and beyond the purpose of somebody else.

The court has never recommended for instance that there should be a system of registration or a definition of journalists. The reason the courts have not done so is that with the exception of an actual licensing system, there is no way around it.