Today regional and local politicians, EU officials and high-level experts met in Elblag, Poland for a CoR- CIVEX seminar to discuss ''Disinformation: regional and local dimension of a global challenge''
The seminar was organized on invitation by Gustaw Marek Brzezin, President of Warmińsko-Mazurskie Region (EPP/PL), who is also the CoR-CIVEX rapporteur on the topic of disinformation.
''Dissemination of false information fuels hatred and undermines trust in public institutions. Local and regional authorities have to play an important role in counteracting foreign manipulation of information. This is inseparably linked to their closeness to citizens and knowledge of local conditions.'' said the host of the event President Brzezin.
Alin Nica (EPP/RO), 1st Vice Chair of the CIVEX commission, commented that ''It is important to showcase the role which local and regional authorities play - facilitating training in critical thinking and media literacy, creating the conditions for local communities to develop good democratic habits, fostering the dialogue with citizens.''
Topics of discussion in the two panels were the strategies of the EU and NATO on countering foreign disinformation and how the sub-national level could be better engaged in this common battle. In addition, the participants discussed how AI is used to spread disinformation but also its capacity to help in prevention, detection, exposure, debunking of foreign interference.
Among the high-level experts who presented in the two panels alongside regional and local politicians were ambassadors, representatives of the East StratCom Task Force of the EEAS, NATO, the US state department, Chatham House and representatives of the fact-checkers' community.
CIVEX EPP members will continue to work on the topic of defending democratic values also during the next external meeting and conference in Timisoara, Romania scheduled in September on invitation on Alin Nica.