FIMI DETECTION as a Lived Professional Experience in the Brussels Bubble

Disinformation campaigns do not remain confined to social media but can also reach the heart of EU decision-making. Issues such as EU enlargement, sanctions against Russia, support for Ukraine and digital regulation are particularly exposed to foreign information manipulation. Drawing on interviews with EU officials, journalists, factcheckers and researchers, Asya Metodieva explores how these campaigns spread into political debates in Brussels, how they are detected and how European institutions react to them in practice. 

Which EU policies are most frequently targeted by foreign information manipulation, and why? How do misleading narratives spread from online networks into debates in the European Parliament? And how can the EU strengthen its response without restricting legitimate political debate and freedom of expression?  

The policy paper addresses these questions and highlights the importance of early detection, effective strategic communication, and stronger cooperation between EU institutions. It also explores why building public trust and long-term resilience may be more effective than simply correcting false information after it has spread. To learn more about these findings and the challenges facing European institutions, download the full policy paper attached above. 

This policy paper was produced as part of the Think Visegrad in Brussels Fellowship programme, an initiative of the Think Visegrad platform coordinated in Brussels by the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy.