On February 16-17, an international online seminar «Responding to Disinformation: European Practices and Standards» was held in the frames of the project «European Union and Council of Europe working together to support freedom of media in Ukraine». The event was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. The Center for Public Diplomacy was represented at the seminar by the academic director Oleksii Polegkyi.
During the event the examples of approaches at the level of state policy, legislation and strategies for combating disinformation in mass media were presented. Particular attention was given to discussion of the EU’s strategic approach and Council of Europe standards in the sphere of combating disinformation.
Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Remi Duflot told about the EU’s experience in fight against disinformation mentioning that it became the recognized international phenomenon and it is playing an important role in international policy today. According to him, the European Union’s approach is to give opportunities to the most diverse participants including the private sector, media and academic community to create online platforms in order to protect democracy from external influence and disinformation. At the same time it is important to adhere to values and basic rights assumed in the European Union. “We should fight against disinformation all together, while respecting freedom of speech, freedom of expression, pluralism”, – Mr. Remi Duflot summarized. He stated that the EU would keep on assisting Ukraine in building a more powerful and healthy media society.
