Why Europe’s defence policy must battle disinformation

Europe is strengthening its collective defence in response to escalating disinformation, sabotage, and cyberattacks. But military measures alone are insufficient. Our strongest defence lies in resilient democracies. 

Traditional warfare evokes imagery of trenches and air raids. But Europe’s contemporary reality is very different. Since February 2022, NATO members have been targeted by more than 150 attacks, from cyberattacks that disrupted train schedules to failed assassination and terrorism plots.

This new “hybrid” warfare doesn’t begin with conquest, but with chaos. It blurs fact and fiction, aiming to erode public trust through disinformation and sabotage. Its goal: weakening democracy.

In this new landscape, states like Russia are employing ‘sharp power’ techniques to project their influence, through spreading propaganda and mass confusion. Such hybrid threats to the European way of life require hybrid responses. While rebuilding Europe’s physical capacity to protect itself is key, we must also strengthen our democratic foundations to respond to modern threats.

When the €800B ReArm Europe Plan launched in March, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared we are now in “an era of rearmament”. The plan’s five part framework focuses on members strengthening their defence capabilities through finance, research and development and new factories. In a conventional threat landscape, this would be enough.But that is not the moment we are in. One tool at our disposal is tackling disinformation.

Eastern and Northern Europe understand the scale of the problem. Eighty percent of Estonians say they encountered disinformation within a period of a week. Estonia has responded with media literacy in schools. Helping citizens recognise and resist foreign disinformation strengthens collective security, solidarity, and readiness.

Innovations from Estonia provide glimmers of hope, alongside promising policy from Brussels. The Polish EU Council Presidency for example has prioritized resistance to foreign interference and disinformation. Combined with the emerging Democracy Shield, this can help make this a reality through a mix of debunking efforts, support to journalists, and media literacy programs.

But a government-only approach to countering disinformation is likely to backfire. As lawmakers gather in Brussels, they should recognize what growing evidence makes clear: countering disinformation works best when it involves actors outside of government—civil society, independent media, and the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... More.

To be effective, Europe’s Democracy Shield must be designed to support multi-stakeholder responses, backed by both resources and rules. The European Digital Media Observatory is an example of an existing initiative which serves as a hub for fact-checkers, academics and the public to coordinate in the fight against disinformation. Stakeholders working together actively then empowers the many voices that work to defend truth and democratic values.

But collective threats demand collective solutions. My organisation, the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP), is uniting governments and civil society around shared values of transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, participation, inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More and accountability. Last month in Vilnius, government, civil society, and academia from ten countries gathered for the OGP Nordic+ meeting to explore how open government can rebuild trust and strengthen democracy across the region. Disinformation emerged as a key issue, highlighting the need for unity in confronting Russian aggression, particularly as US support wanes in the region.

But democratic resilience and security are complex. For Europe to survive this new era, it will need to invest in its soft and sharp power. Otherwise, physical rearmament alone runs the risk of being less effective if democratic resilience is not secured. This includes tackling disinformation.

As Europe prepares for an increasingly complex security landscape, informed citizens will be indispensable. The path forward must fuse military readiness with civic strength. Security must never come at the expense of democracy, because democracy itself is Europe’s most powerful line of defence.

Paul Maassen, Chief of Global Programs at Open Government Partnership, brings over twenty years of experience in geopolitics, with over a decade at OGP working on the intersection of governance, technology, and civic engagement.