European Press Federation e.V.

What European Press Federation e.V. does

European Press Federation e.V. (EPF) is a German non-profit membership association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Ingolstadt, founded in 2006 by press professionals to represent journalists and media workers, with a particular emphasis on part-time, freelance, and self-employed journalists who are typically excluded from trade-union-dominated professional associations. EPF is officially registered as an interest representative with the European Commission (Register ID: 61351933698-09) and operates across 20+ countries.

The organization's core product is the International Press Card (IPC), a credit card-sized, forgery-protected press credential featuring holograms with serial numbers and horizontal color gradients, registered with United Press Register-Services. EPF offers two membership tiers: Standard (122 EUR one-time admission + 48 EUR annual) including the IPC, standard vehicle press sign, and certificate; and Premium (142 EUR admission + 48 EUR annual) adding a Press ID-Card, Midi vehicle press sign, lanyard, and multi-language legitimation. Additional products include a co-branded EPF Visa Card issued via Payango in partnership with Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW), offering 2% cashback, plus access to over 400 partner cooperations across automotive, telecommunications, hotels, software, and media sectors.

EPF operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model with a self-service multilingual (German/English) website, optional PDF postal application, and express processing for 25 EUR with 72-hour delivery. Revenue is generated entirely through recurring annual membership fees and one-time admission fees; no public revenue, funding rounds, or M&A activity is disclosed. The organization employs 12 people and is chaired by Rudolf Walter, with no parent company, no external investment, and no subsidiaries.

Name

European Press Federation e.V.

Legal name

European Press Federation e.V.

Website

https://ep-fed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

European Press Federation e.V. is a German non-profit association, founded in 2006, that issues internationally recognized press credentials and represents part-time, freelance, and self-employed journalists across 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association & Press Credentialing

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Relations & Press Office Services (MPAAADAI)

Keywords

• Press credentials issuance
• Journalist professional association
• Media accreditation services
• Press identification documents
• Non-union journalist membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Ingolstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees provide recurring revenue. Standard membership requires a one-time 122 EUR admission fee plus 48 EUR annual fee. Premium membership requires 142 EUR one-time admission fee plus 48 EUR annual fee. Optional express processing available for 25 EUR. All membership fees are all-inclusive with no hidden charges for press documents or vehicle signs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The European Press Federation e.V. is a non-profit professional association that issues internationally recognized press credentials to journalists and media professionals. Its core offering is the International Press Card (IPC), a forgery-protected credit-card-format credential with hologram and serial number, delivered through two membership tiers: Standard (122 EUR admission + 48 EUR/year) and Premium (142 EUR + 48 EUR/year). Membership includes press cards, vehicle press signs, official certificates, multi-language legitimation, and access to over 400 partner discount programs across automotive, telecommunications, hotels, software, hardware, and media sectors.

Product overview

The European Press Federation offers a membership-based service centered on internationally recognized press credentials and identification documents. The core offering is the International Press Card (IPC), with two membership tiers: Standard (122 euro admission + 48 euro/year) providing the press card and vehicle sign, and Premium (142 euro admission + 48 euro/year) adding a Press ID Card, Midi vehicle sign, lanyard, and multi-language legitimation. All members receive access to over 400 press discount partnerships with companies across hotels, automotive, software, telecommunications, and lifestyle sectors. Additional products include a co-branded EPF Visa Card through Payango/LBBW, member login area with PDF library and job offers, and press discount programs representing annual savings potential of 6,000-8,000 euros per member.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• IFEXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Federation of Editors, a network of press freedom organizations. EPF is listed or associated with IFEX for press freedom advocacy and international journalism networking.
• ANS (Austrian News Service)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian News Service providing news content and journalism services. Partnership provides access to Austrian media network and journalism resources.
• Experts for EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean professional network providing expertise and resources for European journalism and media professionals.
• World NewsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational news organization and journalism platform offering global news coverage and media industry resources.
• United Press Association CLGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational press association involved in verification of EPF's credentials and authorization to issue press cards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PEN International: Worldwide association of writers and journalists promoting literature and freedom of expression. Comparable as a membership organization for media and writing professionals with international advocacy focus, though broader in scope than EPF's press-credentialing focus.
• ver.di (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft): Germany's largest services-sector trade union, which includes journalists and media workers in its membership. Comparable as a German membership organization with collective-bargaining authority over journalists — EPF's explicit non-union positioning is differentiated against ver.di's union model.

Emerging players

• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): US-based NGO promoting press freedom worldwide. Comparable in its mission to defend journalists' rights globally, but operates via a foundation/grant-funded model rather than the member-fee credentialing model EPF runs.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF): International NGO focused on press-freedom advocacy and journalist safety. Comparable to EPF in its journalist-advocacy mission, though it operates as a grant-funded advocacy organization rather than a paid-membership credentialing body.

Direct peers

• International Federation of Journalists (IFJ): Global federation of journalists' unions and associations across 140+ countries. Comparable as an international membership organization providing press-card issuance, journalist advocacy, and professional representation at a global scale.
• International Press Institute (IPI): Global press-freedom organization with a membership-based structure serving journalists, editors, and media outlets. Comparable to EPF in its international mission of defending press freedom and supporting working journalists, though focused more on advocacy than credential issuance.
• European Federation of Journalists (EFJ): Regional federation representing over 320,000 journalists across 45+ European countries. Closely comparable to EPF as a Europe-focused membership organization providing advocacy, press-card support, and professional representation for journalists.
• Deutscher Journalisten-Verband (DJV): Germany's largest professional journalists' association and trade union. Directly comparable as a membership organization serving German journalists with press credentials, professional representation, and advocacy — though with a trade-union orientation and statutory recognition that EPF deliberately foregoes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-press-federation-e-v-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European Press Federation e.V.