As societies across Europe continue to struggle with complex and evolving disinformation threats, building resilience has become critical to safeguarding democratic processes and informed public debate.
On 19 March 2026 in Chișinău, the Council of Europe organised a workshop on the RESIST methodology for assessing societal vulnerabilities and strengths to disinformation - initiating a collaborative discussion between beneficiary countries and experts to explore how the RESIST methodology can be adapted for practical use across different national contexts. Designed to provide EEA and Norway Grants’ beneficiary countries with a tool for mapping contextual indicators, existing policies in key areas such as media, culture, education and youth, and feedback on their implementation, the RESIST methodology enables them to assess risk factors and resilience capacities through a step-by-step process. In this vein, the methodology will provide piloting countries with structured overview on systemic predispositions to disinformation, creating a solid evidence base for future policy dialogue and strategic action, so European citizens will be better prepared to face information disorders.
Representatives from ministries, regulatory authorities and other public institutions of nine European countries, alongside representatives of the Council of Europe and the EEA and Norway Grants, highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts among authorities, public institutions, media actors and civil society to address the growing challenges posed by disinformation.
The event marked an important first step towards the development of national strategies aimed at addressing disinformation and strengthening societal resilience, empowering citizens to better recognise and respond to manipulative narratives.
The workshop concluded with agreement on next steps, focusing on piloting the methodology and fostering policy dialogue built on robust, data-driven assessments.
The event was organised by the Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression as part of the project “RESIST: Strengthening societal resilience to disinformation in Europe”, co-funded by EEA and Norway Grants