Europe’s democratic systems and institutions are under attack. To protect our democracy, we will propose a new European democracy shield to counter foreign information manipulation and interference online, by detecting, analysing and proactively countering disinformation and information manipulation as well as hybrid threats.

Citizens can freely express their views and form their own opinions. They can participate in democratic life, choose their political representatives, and have a say in their future, in a public space where different views can be expressed and diversity is accepted. Foreign information manipulation and interference is a serious threat to this. It can undermine democratic institutions and processes by preventing people from making informed decisions or discouraging them from voting. It can polarise society by pitting communities against each other. New technologies have made it possible for hostile actors to operate and spread disinformation at a scale and with a speed never seen before. Therefore, tackling foreign information manipulation and interference, and enhancing societal resilience against these threats, are pressing issues for the European Union and its Member States.

The European Union and its Member States are reinforcing their actions to counter efforts by actors who spread disinformation to destabilise our societies and democracies, try to exploit a crisis, and put citizens’ lives at risk.

The Commission is tackling the spread of online disinformation and misinformation to ensure the protection of European values and democratic systems.

Representatives of online platforms, leading social networks, advertisers and advertising industry agreed on a self-regulatory Code of Practice to address the spread of online disinformation and fake news.

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), including disinformation, is a growing security and foreign policy threat for the European Union. The European External Action Service (EEAS) has taken a leading role in addressing this challenge. We have significantly built up capabilities to identify, analyse and respond to FIMI since 2015, when EU Member States first called on the EEAS to address Russian disinformation campaigns in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Our aim is to deliver more targeted, impactful and coordinated responses to FIMI in order to protect the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, democratic processes and citizens, as well as our partners worldwide.

EUvsDisinfo is the flagship project of the European External Action Service’s East StratCom Task Force. It was established in 2015 to better forecast, address, and respond to the Russian Federation’s ongoing disinformation campaigns affecting the European Union, its Member States, and countries in the shared neighbourhood. EUvsDisinfo’s core objective is to increase public awareness and understanding of the Kremlin’s disinformation operations, and to help citizens in Europe and beyond develop resistance to digital information and media manipulation.

Learn what the European Parliament is doing against disinformation to protect democracy and ensure European have access to quality information.

Recognising the growing need to defend European democracy, in July 2024, the European Commission President in her speech to the European Parliament proposed a 'European democracy shield'. The Commission's July 2024 political guidelines further built on the EU's expanding toolbox to counter foreign information manipulation and interference. Reflecting the EU's all-of-society approach to boosting information ecosystems against foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), a number of Commissioners will be tackling various aspects of the planned European democracy shield.
Responsibility for the European democracy shield lies primarily with the Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, building on the European democracy action plan and the defence of democracy package.

Foreign powers use disinformation and cyber attacks to try to shape EU public opinion in their own interest. Find out how the EU is fighting back.