Chisinau is hosting the 11th EU Security HUB meeting on combating foreign information manipulation and interference
The European Union Support Hub for Internal Security and Border Management (EU Security HUB) is convening in Chisinau on September 18-19, 2024. Co-organised by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME) and Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT), and the EU Partnership Mission to Moldova (EUPM), this Hub edition focuses on countering foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and brings together officials and experts from the European Union and Moldova, civil society representatives, and investigative journalists specializing in FIMI.
During the meeting, participants will discuss comprehensive strategies to counter FIMI, exchange insights, analyse best practices and address the challenges faced by EU Member States and Moldova in combating FIMI in an integrated way.
“One of the most serious threats facing Moldova today is foreign information manipulation and interference. FIMI not only endangers the integrity and sovereignty of our country, but also threatens the security of the entire region. Our response to it must be appropriate: swift, effective and coordinated”, said Adrian Efros, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova.
The European Union has taken a leading role in combating FIMI, a phenomenon that undermines democratic values and processes both within Europe and beyond. FIMI can exacerbate polarisation and division within the EU, posing significant security risks. Strong and efficient cooperation with external partners is crucial for the EU, its Member States, and partner and candidate countries, like Moldova, in addressing this threat.
“Foreign information manipulation and interference are used to undermine public confidence in the legitimacy and effectiveness of democratic institutions. Thus, FIMI can also escalate political violence in already conflict-prone regions, thereby undermining EU and international peacekeeping efforts around the world. On this occasion, I urge everyone to inform themselves from several sources, to develop their critical thinking. This means to think twice before sharing social media posts and to report false information and fake accounts”, said Jānis Mažeiks, Ambassador of the European Union to Moldova.
The Head of the EU Partnership Mission to Moldova, Cosmin Dinescu, noted, “One year after the first Hub meeting focused on hybrid threats, we have witnessed an intensification of such threats, particularly the FIMI phenomenon, in Moldova. EUPM Moldova, the only civilian mission under the EU Common Security and Defence Policy with a mandate to support efforts against FIMI, has, over the past year and a half, shared with Moldova the experience, practices and methodologies developed at EU level within a unified framework for addressing FIMI. This support will continue and intensify, in the spirit of the strong partnership we have with the Moldovan authorities. Our shared goal is to enhance the country’s security and, by extension, the security of the EU, while safeguarding democratic values and processes. In the face of a complex challenge, we are responding with a comprehensive, coordinated, and joint approach”.
The thematic panels of the meeting cover key topics such as effective cooperation with civil society, a crucial pillar in the fight against FIMI; the legal frameworks governing efforts against FIMI, and strategies for identifying and preventing FIMI. The participants will also analyse the link between FIMI and other hybrid activities that fuel disinformation narratives, such as illicit financial flows, violent protests, using concrete examples from Moldova.
The event aims to strengthen strategic cooperation between national institutions and European partners and reach agreement on required actions and operational outcomes, reaffirming the commitment to close collaboration for ensuring regional and European security.
Background information
The EU Support Hub for Internal Security and Border Management is an operational platform that facilitates cooperation on internal security and border management within the EU, between its agencies, Member States, and Moldovan authorities. Established in July 2022, the EU Security Hub focuses on six priority areas: arms and ammunition trafficking, migrant smuggling, trafficking in human beings, preventing and combating terrorism and violent extremism, cybercrime, and drug trafficking.
The Security Hub serves as a joint operational group, connecting specialists and providing a platform for strategic discussions. Over two years of activity, it has delivered tangible results that have strengthened cooperation between the relevant Moldovan institutions and European partners, as well as enhanced information sharing on the latest developments in cross-border crime and hybrid threats.
