Countering foreign disinformation requires a united European defence

Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration has described disinformation as “one of the most powerful tools” at Moscow’s disposal. The warning highlights how targeted propaganda campaigns are being deployed to disrupt the European Union's enlargement process in candidate countries.

Sceptics of deeper integration argue that strategic communications and domestic security should remain strictly within national jurisdiction, allowing individual governments to respond as they see fit.

Yet foreign influence operations do not respect national borders. When hostile state actors attempt to subvert democratic processes in candidate nations, they test the stability of Europe’s entire neighborhood. A fragmented approach relying solely on national responses leaves smaller or candidate states exposed to well-resourced foreign interference.

Protecting democratic choices requires a collective effort. By pooling intelligence, coordinating monitoring, and supporting candidate states with shared technical resources, Europe can defend its democratic space far more effectively than any nation acting alone.