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About CAHFIMI

CAHFIMI is an ad hoc committee established under the authority of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CM) to address the challenges posed by foreign information manipulation and interference. The committee is set up under Article 17 of the Statute of the Council of Europe and operates in accordance with Resolution CM/Res(2021)3 consolidated on intergovernmental committees and subordinate bodies, their terms of reference and working methods.

Issues Addressed

Guided by the feasibility study, CAHFIMI’s work addresses:

The Issue: Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI)

FIMI has emerged as a geopolitical tool, used to seek to destabilise democratic systems and gain strategic advantage. As identified in the Feasibility Study prepared by the PC-FIMI, foreign interference is not limited to disinformation alone; it encompasses a spectrum of hybrid threats such as sabotage and psychological operations. Malign actors routinely conduct hostile information operations against democracies. FIMI operations and other hybrid threats are characterised by being intentional, harmful, manipulative, and coordinated activities designed to create confusion, deepen societal divisions, destabilise, polarise, and ultimately weaken democracy.  

The work of the CAHFIMI is centred on standards for countering, and building resilience against, FIMI and other hybrid threats, ensuring effective cooperation and coordinated responses while upholding human rights including freedom of expression, democratic values and the rule of law.

Committee Composition & Participation

Members

Designated representatives from Council of Europe member States.

Participants and Observers

  • The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
  • The Conference of Local and Regional authorities
  •  The European Court of Human Rights
  •  The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe
  •  The Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe
  • The European Commission for Democracy through Law  (Venice Commission)
  • Committees and other bodies of the Council of Europe engaged in related work, as appropriate
  • The European Union
  • Observer States to the Council of Europe (Canada, Holy See, Japan, Mexico, United States of America)
  • Other international Organisations, including the United Nations and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
  • Non-member with which the Council of Europe has a neighbourhood partnership including relevant cooperation activities
  • States having been invited by decision of the Committee of Ministers to participate in the negotiations, and interested organisations from Civil Society 

Working methods

Regular Plenary and Bureau meetings with an option for online participation.