EU Enlargement Days: Disinformation in spotlight ahead of membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova

Need for closer cooperation with local authorities to counter disinformation stressed at meeting of local leaders from EU and enlargement countries.

Local and regional leaders met in Brussels 2-3 June for a flagship meeting on enlargement of the European Union amid growing prospects that Ukraine and Moldova will on 15 June become the next countries to start formal negotiations on accession to the EU.

At this potentially significant moment in the enlargement process, the European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) Enlargement Days conference brought together politicians from the EU and from enlargement countries to discuss accession, but also to focus on how to better communicate the benefits of EU enlargement faced with the challenges of foreign information manipulation and interference. Increased disinformation, cyber-attacksand foreign interference are being reported across the continentand credible communication has become essential to safeguard democratic resilience.

The keynote speaker - the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko - underscored that Ukrainians' desire "to be part of Europe, independent" as the reason why Russia's President Putin launched this "senseless war", and said that the provision of "objective and true information" has been critical to the Ukrainian capital's efforts to protect its residents and to counter Russian disinformation. Mayor Klitschko, who is also president of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, was made the first honorary member of the CoR in 2022, days after Russia's invasion, and in 2025 won the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award for leadership of his communityin the midst ofwar.

Describing "disinformation" as one of four fronts in Russia's war, Mayor Klitschko said: "Putin says the main target of Russians is military forces. But just yesterday Kyiv was attacked with missiles. Seven people died, 90 injured. Five hospitals, three pre-schools destroyed."

His emphasis on reliable, objective and timely information was reflected by many other speakers attheEnlargement Days, a flagship annual event, which came days before a planned inter-governmental conference - on 15 June - that may see the opening of formal negotiations between the EU and Ukraine and Moldova on EU-related reforms. Several Western Balkanstatesare also advancing towards EU membership, with Montenegro being the frontrunner.

The CoR, the European Parliament's rapporteur on enlargement strategy - Petras Auštrevičius (LT/Renew Europe) - and the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union all underscored the need for close collaboration with local and regional authorities to counter disinformation intended to undermine democratic institutions, influence elections and weaken support for European integration.

Magali Altounian (FR/Renew Europe), member of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Regional Council and Chair of the CoR's Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX), said: "We need to communicate better on the benefits of EU enlargement, particularly in an environment that is becoming more hostile. No single level of governance can tackle the challenges of foreign information manipulation and interference alone. We need closer cooperation between European institutions, EU member states, regions, and cities. We must also equip local and regional authorities with the tools, knowledge, and capacities needed to respond effectively."

Experiences and ideas presented at the conference - which included a workshop - will inform recommendations that the CoR is currently formulating to contribute to the European Democracy Shield, an EU initiative designed to empower citizens, safeguard democratic institutions, and strengthen democracy within the EU and enlargement countries. Actions to tackle FIMI form one of four categories of measures envisaged by the EU.

Discussions considered issues such as citizen participation, collaborative efforts to improve media literacy, support for media and civil-society organisations, effective channels of public information, potential means of EU support for local and regional authorities.

Foreign information manipulation and interference will also be a central theme of the CoR's EuroPCom conference on 9-10 June, which will bring together communication experts from public institutions, including from enlargement countries.

Quotes:

• Magali Altounian (FR/Renew Europe), member of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Regional Council and Chair of the CoR's Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX): "Ukraine is on the frontline of an information war, where disinformation is deployed as a strategic weapon in an existential struggle. Moldova has also been targeted repeatedly. Similar dynamics are visible in the Western Balkans and also inside the EU, including my own country. Disinformation exploits societal divisions, seeks to undermine trust in our institutions, and to weaken public support for EU accession and reforms. We need clear recognition of the role of local and regional authorities in combating disinformation. On enlargement, for many citizens, a key question remains unanswered: what does enlargement mean for me, for my community? By relying on facts and concrete results, we can demonstrate that enlargement is not an abstract policy but an opportunity that brings growth, stability and peace."

• Vitaliy Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv, President of the Association of Ukrainian Cities and laureate of the 2025 Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award: "Everyone has to understand the reason of this senseless war. We Ukrainians want to be part of Europe, independent. And Mr. Putin disagreed with that. We want to build a democratic country. We depend on every one of you. The war has four fronts. One of them is disinformation. An easy example: Putin says the main target of Russians is military forces. But just yesterday Kyiv was attacked with missiles. Seven people died, 90 injured. Five hospitals, three pre-schools destroyed. From the beginning of the war, in Kyiv, more than 2,000 apartments have been destroyed and close to 1,000 people killed. Objective and true information is a priority in communication with our community. To protect people, we inform them of news, needs, and the main challenges."

• Petras Auštrevičius (LT/Renew Europe), European Parliament's rapporteur for enlargement strategy: "Enlargement brings real economic benefits and stronger cooperation across Europe. Enlargement communication remains an important part of the process. Beyond real facts, we must convince citizens. That is why we need joint efforts to better explain the process to both our partners and our citizens. My call to you - representatives of local and regional authorities - and all EU institutions is: let's be objective, let's be innovative, let's be strategic, but let's not lose a sense of geopolitical rivalry and competition. Because in the end, we either win together or lose together."

• Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus: "Today Europe faces growing geopolitical competition, security challenges, and increasing attempts by external actors to undermine our democracies. Democratic resilience begins at the local level. Local leaders are often some of the most trusted voices in our societies. Citizens are more resilient to manipulation when they trust public institutions, have access to reliable information, and feel actively involved in democratic life. At the same time, local and regional authorities are on the front line in confronting disinformation and foreign interference. Countering these threats therefore requires strong engagement at the community level and fostering partnerships between European institutions, national governments, civil society, and local authorities."

More information:

• Details of the event: Agendas and background documents are available on a dedicated webpage, together with recordings on a multilingual online platform. Photos are available for download.

• Participants at the Enlargement Days conference: In addition tolocal and regional politicians, participants included: Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus; Petras Auštrevičius (LT/Renew Europe), the European Parliament's rapporteur on enlargement; the European Commission; the European External Action; and media professionals, experts and representatives of civil society from the enlargement countries. The CoR additionally invited young elected politicians from enlargement countries who are members of its YEP programme.

• Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award: The award honours people who work for more open, inclusive and democratic communities despite challenging circumstances such as violence, hate speech, prejudice, and xenophobia. Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko of Kyiv won the award in 2025. This year's winner is Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul, who is currently in pre-trial detention. His arrest and the arrest of other local leaders has been condemned by the CoR.

• Enlargement - the local and regional perspective: The CoR's latest assessment of progress on EU-related reforms by enlargement countries, seen from a local and regional perspective, can be found in its opinions on the 'Enlargement Package 2025' for Western Balkans and Türkiye (rapporteur: Gillian Coughlan, IE/RE, member of Cork County Council) and Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia (rapporteur: Patrick Molinoz, FR/PES, Vice-President of the Region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). The opinions emphasise that the success of EU enlargement requires the significant involvement of local and regional authorities as roughly two-thirds of EU legislation requires action by sub-national authorities. The opinions reflect the CoR's three political priorities: cohesion, resilience and proximity. The CoR believes that no EU body has been more consistent in its support for EU enlargement.

• Enlargement - public opinion: Public attitudes towards enlargementwithin the EUare detailed in aspecial Eurobarometersurveypublishedin 2025.Attitudes towards EU accession is surveyed each year in partner countries, including in 2025.

• Moldova: A request by the government of Moldova and by the European Committee of the Regions to upgrade contacts - by establishing a Joint Consultative Committee with fixed membership on the Moldovan side - was this week approved by the EU-Moldova Association Council, a decision that will come into effect when itis publishedin the EU's Official Journal in the coming days.

• Türkiye: The Working Group on Türkiye met amidst growing concerns over democratic backsliding. The CoR, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe spoke with one voice in support of local democracy in Türkiye and in solidarity with local leaders, who - like the mayor of Istanbul, Ekremİmamoğlu- are defending democratic values as the backbone of EU-Türkiye relations.

• European Democracy Shield: The CoR will adopt is position on the European Democracy Shield at its plenary session in October 2026 .The measures outlined in the European Democracy Shield initiative fall into four categories: one to boost societal resilience and citizen participation, by emphasising civic engagement; a second focused on ensuring free and fair elections, media pluralism, strong civil society, and functioning checks and balances; a third series of measures to tackle disinformation and foreign information manipulation (FIMI); and a fourth set intended to limit the risks posed by new technologies, including artificial intelligence, and to benefit from them. The CoR will call for clear recognition of the role of local and regional authorities in combating disinformation, including through their participation in the European Centre for Democratic Resilience. Draft CoR opinion on the European Democracy Shield.

• EuroPCom conference: The European Public Communication Conference(EuroPCom) will be heldin the European Committee of the Regions on 9-10 June. Thisannual conference and networking eventisfor communication experts from local, regional,nationaland European authorities, as well as private communication agencies,NGOsand academia.

• Background reading: Study commissioned by the CoR on 'The local and regional dimension of the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans' (2026) and a briefing by the European Parliament Research Service on 'Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference in EU Accession Candidate Countries' (March 2026).

Contact:

Andrew Gardner

Tel: +32 473 843 981

[email protected]