The European Commission presented the "Shield of Democracy" – an initiative to counter Russian disinformation
The European Commission in Brussels approved the "European Democracy Shield" initiative and a new strategy for EU civil society, aimed at strengthening the fight against Russian disinformation and providing up to 9 billion euros to support media and civic initiatives until 2034.
"Our democracy is under pressure and attack. Soon it will be four years since Russia began its full-scale aggressive war against Ukraine. And even longer — since it started deliberately attacking the European Union through hybrid attacks, information manipulation, and interference," said European Commission Executive Vice-President Vera Jourova, presenting the "Democracy Shield" to journalists in Brussels.
According to her, the "European Democracy Shield" will have three components: protection of the EU's informational space, strengthening democratic institutions, and increasing societal resilience.
Regarding online information protection, the goal of the tool is rapid and coordinated response to large-scale and potentially cross-border information operations.
The direction of strengthening democratic institutions focuses on ensuring free and fair elections, as well as free and independent media — with additional financial support from the EU budget for independent media, civil society, and creative industries amounting to up to 9 billion euros (Agora EU program) until 2034.
The third component of the "Shield" is dedicated to enhancing societal resilience so that citizens can fully play their role in democracy.
"This means investing in media literacy, especially among youth, to teach them how to recognize reliable sources and navigate the information environment," emphasized Jourova.
"Today, we also adopted a new EU Strategy for Civil Society, which will complement the European Democracy Shield... This strategy will ensure coordinated and effective support and protection for civil society organizations across the EU," the European Commissioner announced.
As part of the Strategy, a new Civil Society Platform will be established by 2026 to strengthen dialogue on the protection and promotion of EU values.
Additionally, an online knowledge hub on civic space will be created to facilitate access to existing projects and tools, including current protection measures.
In the proposal for the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the European Commission suggested significantly increasing financial support for civil society organizations.
Furthermore, the European Commission plans to implement measures that will facilitate access to various funding sources, creating closer ties with private donors and communities providing legal assistance pro bono.
