JRC Disinformation Workshop 2024: Strengthening Europe's Response to Information Manipulation
The JRC Disinformation Workshop 2024, organised by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), took place on 25–26 September in Ispra, Italy, bringing together policymakers, researchers, journalists, fact-checkers and cybersecurity experts to address one of the most significant challenges facing modern societies: disinformation and information manipulation. Held under the theme "How the EU Tackles Disinformation", the workshop provided an open forum for exchanging experiences, discussing emerging trends and exploring innovative approaches to protecting democratic processes and strengthening societal resilience across Europe.
Over the course of two days, participants examined the evolving information landscape and analysed how coordinated influence campaigns increasingly exploit digital platforms, artificial intelligence and social media ecosystems. The event highlighted the importance of combining technological innovation, multidisciplinary research and international cooperation to improve Europe's capacity to detect, analyse and respond to complex information threats while safeguarding fundamental democratic values.
Within this context, the EUCINF project was represented by Guillaume Gadek (ADF), who delivered a presentation introducing the project's work through one of its operational scenarios. The session provided attendees with an overview of EUCINF's objectives and demonstrated how the project is developing innovative technological capabilities to support the identification and analysis of foreign information manipulation and coordinated disinformation campaigns.
The presentation showcased the project's approach to combining artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and configurable digital tools to improve the understanding of complex information environments. By integrating multiple technological components within an experimental framework, EUCINF seeks to provide flexible capabilities that can support operators and decision-makers facing increasingly sophisticated hybrid threats.
Participation in the workshop also enabled valuable exchanges with experts representing European institutions, academia and the cybersecurity community. These discussions provided an opportunity to gather feedback, explore complementary initiatives and reinforce collaboration with organisations working on similar challenges. Such interactions are essential for ensuring that research projects remain closely connected to operational requirements while encouraging the adoption of common approaches to addressing information manipulation across Europe.
The multidisciplinary nature of the workshop reflected the growing recognition that countering disinformation requires expertise from multiple domains, including cybersecurity, behavioural sciences, journalism, artificial intelligence and public policy. Bringing these perspectives together helps create a more comprehensive understanding of today's information environment and supports the development of more effective and resilient solutions.
By participating in the JRC Disinformation Workshop 2024, the EUCINF consortium further strengthened its engagement with the European research and innovation community while increasing the visibility of its ongoing work in the field of information resilience. Events organised by the Joint Research Centre provide an ideal environment for sharing knowledge, encouraging collaboration and aligning research activities with European priorities. As EUCINF continues to advance its technological developments, participation in initiatives such as this workshop remains a fundamental part of its dissemination strategy, contributing to a stronger, more coordinated and resilient European response to the evolving challenges of cyber and information warfare.
