Democracy in Europe has encountered a wide array of internal and external challenges in recent years. The continuing rule of law problems and democratic backsliding, the rise of domestic populism and extremism, disruptive social media and technological developments, and authoritarian-state-driven influence operations have undermined democratic governance on the continent.
An effective and all-encompassing response to Russian (and other authoritarian-state) disinformation would require an integrated, multi-stakeholder approach based on cooperation among policy-makers, civil society, and European/international institutional actors. Achieving such a whole-of-society approach to countering Russian disinformation in Europe calls for much more coordination, flexibility, and swiftness of responses.
