Speaking to EurActiv in an exclusive interview, Kempinnen, who has served in the foreign ministry of his native Finland as chief communicator and was spokesperson for European Commission President Romano Prodi, lamented the declining number of Brussels correspondents.
As a result of the economic crisis, many media outlets have reduced or discontinued their presence in Brussels.
"As traditional publishers are struggling with the crisis, people that are sent as Brussels correspondents are younger and they are put under more pressure more quickly than was the case in the past," Kemppinen said.
"So it seems gone are the days when a new journalist was given six months to settle down, look around himself or herself and learn the language, learn the place and learn the people. Now, not only do they have to start immediately, but they have to do the same story in three to four different formats: print, audiovisual and websites," he added.
As a result, even in the hands of the most skilful, the quality of journalism has suffered, Kemppinen argued. Brussels journalism "may not become less accurate, but it becomes faster and it becomes less deep," he said.
The Council's chief communicator expressed his confidence in the future of social media as a tool for EU communication, but also as an instrument of modern journalism.
"Social media is a name given to a development that is a consequence of digital evolution and it can take many forms and shapes, but it will continue to mould and change the communication environment in a radical sense in the future. And that change I think is only beginning. And one of the trades or professions to be affected profoundly will be journalism," he argued.
In particular, Kemppinen stressed that Twitter had become an important tool of communication for the Council. Council President Herman Van Rompuy is an active tweeter himself, and for the first time ever, breaking news has been made available almost in real time in the middle of EU summits thanks to his use of social media.
Kemppinen also spoke out in favour of better understanding national audiences, as EU communication often appears trapped in the 'Brussels bubble'. To achieve this goal, his services are now developing an online strategy, he explained.
Nevertheless, he cautioned that "we need to think beyond websites as a means of communicating in countries where we don't have a presence or where the journalists do not have a presence here," said the Council's director-general for press and communications.
To improve cooperation between the European institutions, the Commission and the Parliament could become "more mindful of the realities in the member states," Kemppinen advised.
