Will fight online disinformation/ EU plans to create Center for Democratic Resistance

2025-11-07 19:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Will fight online disinformation/ EU plans to create Center for Democratic

The European Commission is planning to create the Center for Democratic Resistance to combat disinformation from Russia and other authoritarian regimes.

The EC aims for the centre to bring together expertise from across the EU and from countries seeking to join the bloc to combat information manipulation and interference from outside. The idea forms the centrepiece of the “democracy shield” proposed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen when she sought a second term ahead of the 2024 European elections.

The document, to be published on November 12, outlines further details, including where the commission sees its greatest threat.

The EU External Action Service says it has identified dozens of cases of disinformation and information manipulation by Russia, such as the Doppelganger campaign in the run-up to the European elections, where impersonators of popular media sites spread anti-Western statements.

The disinformation was spread on websites that imitated media outlets such as Die Welt, Le Point, La Stampa and Polskie Radio as part of the campaign, which is believed to have been active since 2022. On these imitation sites, fake articles, which were also widely promoted on social media, aimed to discredit politicians, as well as undermine the government's support for Ukrainian refugees or Ukraine.

China has also been identified as a disinformation threat and is suspected of using private public relations companies and influencers to create, amplify and sanitize content in line with China's political interests around the world, according to the EU diplomatic service.

In 2024, researchers at Citizen Lab discovered 123 websites operating from China, which claimed to be news outlets, which were spreading pro-Beijing disinformation in 30 countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

The risks of foreign interference were highlighted when Romania became the first EU member state to cancel elections after declassified intelligence revealed a suspected Russian campaign, including massive cyberattacks on the electoral IT system and interference on social media in favor of an ultranationalist candidate. Authorities in Moldova, an EU candidate country, have also alleged Russian interference in recent elections, including massive vote-buying schemes and propaganda campaigns.

The center would be a hub for EU institutions and member states to share information and early warnings, as well as raise public awareness about foreign governments seeking to manipulate information. /CNA