Disinformation poses a serious threat to the foundations of democratic society: it undermines public trust in the media, negatively affects election outcomes, distorts reality, and deepens conflicts. Given the scale and complexity of information manipulation, strengthening critical resilience to this phenomenon has become increasingly important.
These issues were the focus of the International Conference “Building Democratic Resilience to Disinformation”, held on 17 September 2025 at Villa Bighi in Kalkara, Malta. The event was organised with the support of the Council of Europe and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta, under the auspices of Malta’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The conference was opened by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, who underlined the need for a New Democratic Pact for Europe - a comprehensive initiative aimed at restoring trust in democratic institutions, safeguarding fundamental rights, and strengthening societal resilience to modern challenges, including disinformation. He was followed by Ian Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta, who highlighted the importance of international co-operation in countering information threats.
The conference brought together representatives of governments, parliaments, regulatory authorities, civil society, journalists, academics, as well as experts from digital platforms and the IT sector. They discussed the multifaceted threats that disinformation poses to democratic institutions and public trust, as well as possible political, educational, and technological responses.
Key topics included media literacy, the role of youth and culture, parliaments and digital platforms, support for quality journalism, and national strategies to counter information manipulation. Particular attention was devoted to international co-operation, the development of national policies, and case studies from Ireland, Norway, Moldova, Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine.
Ukraine was represented by Ganna Krasnostup, Head of the Department of Strategic Communications and Promotion of Ukrainian Culture at the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications. She spoke during the panel discussion “Building Trust in Information in Times of Hybrid Warfare”, emphasising Ukraine’s unique experience in countering Russian information manipulation and disinformation.
“By protecting journalists, we protect society’s right to truthful information. In a world that has shifted from the industry of facts to the industry of fakes, supporting professional media and fostering critical thinking among citizens are our top priorities,” noted Ms Krasnostup.
She also informed participants about the implementation in Ukraine of the Council of Europe’s “Journalists Matter” campaign, the promotion of the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), and the White List of Media project developed by the Institute of Mass Information. In addition, Ms Krasnostup announced the preparation of a new National Information Security Strategy of Ukraine, which will include provisions on international co-operation to counter foreign information manipulation.
The conference also served as a platform for presenting the new Council of Europe project “RESIST: Strengthening Societal Resilience to Disinformation in Europe”, funded by the EEA and Norway Grants. The project aims to support member states in developing comprehensive strategies to counter disinformation and empower citizens - particularly young people - through media and information literacy.
This event became an important platform for discussing European approaches to countering disinformation and strategic information threats. It fostered the integration of best practices in strategic communications, strengthened member states’ capacity to respond to challenges in the information environment, and reaffirmed commitment to the Council of Europe’s standards on freedom of expression and human rights.
The Council of Europe Project “Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Media in Ukraine – II Phase” (SFEM-UA) is implemented by the Council of Europe Division for Co-operation on Freedom of Expression in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026.
