Overview
Democracy, the rule of law and respect of fundamental rights are among the founding values of the European Union. These values are common to the Member States, underpinning a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality prevail.
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.
In focus
The Commission launched a call for proposals to support projects that connect different generations around the theme of media literacy in rural areas and small to medium towns in Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Cyprus.
This call will support one project in each country for a period of eight months with €50,000.
Applications closed on 6 February 2026. Proposals are currently being evaluated.
How is the European Commission responding?
The Commission is strengthening its strategic communication in response to foreign information manipulation and interference targeting EU policies.
As part of a comprehensive response, it is also important to guarantee media freedom and pluralism and ensure that citizens have access to quality news and information they can trust.
The Commission's response to this challenge is centred around:
- Developing policies to strengthen European democracies, making it more difficult for threat actors to misuse online platforms or interfere in elections, while protecting journalists and media pluralism
- Building up situational awareness through monitoring, detection and analysis of open-source information
- Countering foreign information manipulation and interference through awareness-raising projects, advanced technological solutions, and improved coordination
- Boosting societal resilience and citizens' engagement through digital and media literacy and other measures
- Cooperating with institutions, national authorities, fact-checkers, civil society organisations, media, academia and other organisations
Main fields of action
Promoting free and fair elections, protecting public debate, and countering foreign information manipulation and interference through the European Democracy Shield
Ensuring that platforms take responsibility in countering foreign information manipulation and interference, thanks to the Digital Services Act, the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, and the Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising
Upholding media pluralism and independence in the EU through the Media Freedom Act and legislation that protects journalists from strategic lawsuits against public participation (anti-SLAPPs)
Exposing foreign information manipulation and interference tactics and ensuring preparedness in case of cyberattacks
Enabling citizens to navigate the modern news environment, raising awareness about foreign information manipulation and interference tactics, providing guidance to counter this threat through education
Supporting projects that contribute to the whole-of-society effort to counter foreign information manipulation and interference, and enhance media freedom and pluralism
Providing trustworthy information
Accurate and reliable information is vital in the action against foreign information manipulation and interference.
To help citizens distinguish fact from fiction and build their own opinion, see below a selection of resources on frequently targeted topics.
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Timeline of EU actions
- November 2025
The Commission presents the European Democracy Shield
- October 2025
The Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising enters into application
- February 2025
The Commission and the European Board for Digital Services endorse the official integration of the voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation into the framework of the Digital Services Act, making the Code a Code of Conduct for platforms' compliance with the DSA
- January 2025
The revised Code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online + is integrated into the Digital Services Act
- August 2024
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act enters into force
- May 2024
The European Media Freedom Act and new rules against abusive lawsuits against public participation (anti-SLAPPs) enter into force
- April 2024
The Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising enters into force
- March 2024
The Commission publishes guidelines under the Digital Services Act for Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines to mitigate risks online that may impact the integrity of elections, with specific guidance for the European Parliament elections in June 2024
- March 2024
A new Cybersecurity compendium on how to protect integrity of elections is published
- December 2023
The Commission adopts the Defence of Democracy Package ahead of the 2024 European elections
- October 2023
The Commission publishes a call for proposals to support EU fact-checkers in identifying and debunking disinformation
- October 2022
The Commission publishes guidelines for teachers and educators in primary and secondary schools on how to address disinformation and promote digital literacy in their classrooms
- September 2022
The Commission presents a proposal for the European Media Freedom Act
- June 2022
A strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation is signed by major online platforms, emerging and specialised platforms, players in the advertising industry, fact-checkers, research and civil society organisations
- November 2021
The Commission presents a proposal for new laws on transparency and targeting of political advertising
- December 2020
The Commission presents a proposal for the Digital Services Act
- December 2020
The Commission establishes its European Democracy Action Plan
- June 2020
The European Digital Media Observatory is launched
- March 2019
The European External Action Service (EEAS) launches its Rapid Alert System
- December 2018
The Commission and the High Representative establish an Action plan against disinformation
- September 2018
The first Code of Practice against Disinformation is established
- September 2018
The Commission publishes a Communication on securing free and fair European elections
- April 2018
The Commission publishes a Communication on tackling online disinformation
- April 2016
A Joint Framework on countering hybrid threats is adopted to counter hostile actions designed to destabilise a region or a state
- January 2015
Launch of the EEAS East StratCom Task Force to address Russian disinformation campaigns
This page was last reviewed on 20 January 2026