Advancing the objectives of the New Democratic Pact for Europe, the Council of Europe convened a High-Level Conference on Media Literacy and Information Integrity: Building Resilience to Disinformation and FIMI in Europe, bringing together key European and international stakeholders to strengthen collective responses to disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).

Organised under the auspices of the Moldovan Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, the conference provided a platform for member States and partners to exchange experiences and identify concrete ways to build a more resilient, trustworthy and secure information environment across Europe.

Opening the conference, the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, stressed that disinformation and foreign interference are no longer episodic but represent a persistent “new normal”, being increasingly used to divide societies, weaken trust in institutions and influence democratic choices across Europe.

In his address, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, emphasised that safeguarding the information space has become a matter of democratic security. He underlined that the challenge today is not only access to information, but also what people choose to believe, stressing that democracies must be able to protect themselves against coordinated manipulation while upholding human rights and the rule of law. He also pointed to ongoing work – under the New Democratic Pact for Europe – towards a new legal instrument to address foreign information manipulation and interference.

Delivering the keynote speech, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, underlined that a human rights-based approach is essential to counter disinformation, given its impact on privacy, electoral integrity and the protection of vulnerable groups.

Main takeaways

Discussions throughout the conference reaffirmed that information integrity is a cornerstone of democratic security. Participants highlighted that disinformation and FIMI are systemic and persistent threats in the “new normal”, designed to distort public debate, polarise societies and undermine democratic institutions. Strengthening resilience must therefore be a continuous effort, not limited to moments of heightened vulnerability, such as elections. At the same time, speakers stressed that responses must remain firmly grounded in freedom of expression and media freedom, in line with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

A central focus of the conference was the role of media and information literacy (MIL) as a key pillar of resilience in an increasingly complex and permanently evolving information environment. Empowering individuals to critically assess information, recognise manipulation and understand digital environments was identified as essential to sustaining democratic participation and trust. Participants also emphasised the importance of independent, pluralistic and sustainable media ecosystems as a frontline defence against disinformation.

The conference further explored how digital technologies, including algorithmic amplification and AI-generated content, are reshaping the information landscape – creating both opportunities and new risks that require transparency, accountability and human-rights-based responses.

The conference also launched two key policy documents adopted by the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI), as part of its contribution to the New Democratic Pact for Europe: National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategies – Practical Steps and Indicators and Resisting Disinformation: 10 Building Blocks to Strengthen Information Integrity. These provide concrete guidance to support member States in developing comprehensive responses to disinformation and FIMI.

Presenting the conclusions of the conference, Roberto Olla, Head of the Council of Europe Democratic Institutions and Freedoms Department, emphasised that strengthening information integrity requires a whole-of-society approach, bringing together public authorities, media, regulators, technology companies, educators and civil society, alongside strong international cooperation.

The conference in Chișinău marks an important step in translating the goals of the New Democratic Pact for Europe into concrete action, reinforcing a shared European commitment to protect democratic values and strengthen resilience in the face of disinformation and FIMI.

Read more about the New Democratic Pact for Europe

Learn more about the conference

Speech by the Secretary General

Conclusions by Mr Roberto Olla