About us

Elena Sánchez Nicolás

Elena is the president of AEJ Belgium. She is from Spain and she joined AEJ Belgium in 2017. Elena is an accredited journalist, working for the online newspaper EUobserver. She covers institutional affairs, climate change, and tech policy; and she likes to illustrate data and trends with infographics. She also moderates online, in-person and hybrid events. Before joining EUobserver, she worked on European affairs at the Brussels-based think tank VoteWatch Europe and the Spanish news agency EFE. She holds a MA in New Media and Society in Europe from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and a MA in Transmedia Journalism from UNED.

Lieven Taillie

Lieven is an accredited journalist, which covers economic and social policy issues for CAPresse. He is also interested in cultural subjects. He has been the president of AEJ Belgium since 2013. Previously active for Euromedia Services in Brussels (Europabericht, Eurinfo, European Library of Agence Europe, and more), now a member of CAPresse and moderator in multilingual debates (German, English, French, Dutch). Member (and formerly administrator) of the Steering Committee of the Jean Monnet Association. Previously also a member of the Scientific Committee of the Schuman House in Scy-Chazelles (Metz).

Dirk Vandereyken

Dirk started his writing career at age 11 by authoring his first science fantasy novel, IJs, de verloren planet. It was published three years later. Since then, Dirk has written hundreds of articles, columns, reviews, books, film scripts and audio plays. Aside from being a journalist and editor, he heads the PR bureau Badass PR and teaches acting, communication, NLP, hypnosis, writing, singing, lie detection, directing, presenting, debating and more at Badass Intensive Courses and Badass Intensive Acting. As COO of AEJ Belgium, his goal is to improve the workflow of the organization and help with its social media presence.

Wytze VanderGaast

Born into a hospitality (hotel) family, Wytze developed an interest in journalism early on and started working in television and media production during his years working and living in China. After additional projects and work in the Americas and Africa, Wytze landed in Brussels in 2018. In Brussels, he is active in the production of (new) media and journalistic content and events such as the Brussels Bubbles; TalkShow featuring journalists who provide a look behind the scenes of their work and Behind the Headlines; an online video format inspired by shows like The Daily Show.

Dylan Carter

Dylan is vice-president of AEJ Belgium. He is from Ireland and joined AEJ Belgium in 2022. Dylan is an accredited journalist, working as a freelance investigative journalist and a founding member of the Kyiv Independent, Eastern Europe’s largest English-language media. Dylan primarily covers Ukraine, energy, economics, and business. Dylan has led investigative projects both in Belgium and in Ukraine. Before joining The Brussels Times, Dylan worked as a TV producer, researcher, editor, media consultant, and political communications advisor. Dylan holds a PGCert in Public Policy and a Bachelors in French and Spanish from the University College of London.

Miquel Sánchez

Miquel is a Spanish journalist who is currently pursuing a double master’s degree in European Studies and Political Analysis at the Université Catholique de Louvain and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. He has been collaborating with the AEJ Belgium as a volunteer since February 2022, writing articles, conducting interviews, and making contributions related to media freedom and the role of journalists’ associations. Miquel’s interest in European policies and laws stems from his previous work with the International Federation of Journalists, where he focused on the European Freedom of the Media Act and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).

Gabriela Lopez

Gabriela is a Colombian communications student at ISFSC College in Brussels. She previously graduated in modern languages and studied anthropology at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota. Additionally, she pursued a one-year master’s in cultural project management before pursuing a career in communications and journalism. She arrived in Belgium four years ago to build an international profile.

Gabriela joined the Association of European Journalists as an intern in April 2024. Her main interests include politics, EU-Latin American affairs, culture, diversity, gender equality, decolonisation, and migration. So far, she has attended conferences and events related to her areas of interest and has met various professional journalists at the Brussels Press Club. She has enjoyed her time at AEJ and is looking forward to remaining as a volunteer when her internship comes to an end.

David Poelemans

David is a 25-year-old student from Antwerp currently studying history at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He has been collaborating for AEJ Belgium since January of 2023. So far, he has enjoyed his time at the association, where he has been given the opportunity to conduct interviews, write articles, help improve social media outreach and mingle with professional journalists at the Press Club Brussels. In the coming months, he hopes to continue on the path the association has helped pave. He will work with the new team of interns and volunteers when his internship at the AEJ Belgium comes to its eventual close in August 2023.

Benedetta Zimone

Benedetta is a 21-year-old Italian student from Milan who is currently attending the European Studies course at Maastricht University, in the Netherlands. She has previously studied at the High School of Languages in Milan (English, French, and Spanish). She has been collaborating with AEJ Belgium as an intern since September 2023. Even though her experience at the association had just begun, she already had the possibility to attend some international conferences about politics and European affairs. In the near future, she will be reporting the most important subjects debated in the EU. Her internship at the AEJ is supposed to end in December 2023.

Anne-Marie Brennan

Anne-Marie Brennan is a student of journalism and French at the University of Galway in Ireland, where she developed a particular interest in human rights and freedom of speech. She has just joined the Association of European Journalists in Belgium as an intern in September 2023. Her areas of interest are mainly migration, freedom of the press, indigenous rights and prison reform in Europe. During her internship at AEJ Belgium, her work is expected to give her plenty of time to learn more about European politics.  She believes it is important for journalists to have a place where they can come together to create a sense of community, such as the Press Club in Brussels where you can find her most of the time.