Dissertation

Countering misinformation in the EU: origins, evolution, and prospects

This dissertation examines the European Union’s response to the growing problem of disinformation. It uses this case to critically analyse how societies interpret and manage information challenges such as ‘fake news’ and propaganda.

Author: S.L. Vériter
Date: 03 June 2025
Links: Full text in Scholarly Publications Leiden University

This dissertation explores the European Union’s response to the growing problem ofmisinformation. It uses this case to critically analyse how societies interpret and governinformation challenges such as “fake news” and propaganda. It shows why such issues areunderstood as security threats, discusses the consequences of that framing, and consideralternative approaches better suited to the global and complex nature of information systems.The thesis builds on 50 interviews with key stakeholders and over 400 documents to fullyretrace the development of EU misinformation policies since 2015.

It focuses on three keymoments: (1) Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the resulting creation of the East StratComTask Force, (2) the COVID-19 pandemic and the strengthening of EU crisis responsemechanisms, and (3) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the EU to ban Russianstate-backed media RT and Sputnik. These milestones are unpacked to explain how responseswere shaped, who influenced them, and what difficulties arose during their implementation.Finally, drawing on the lessons from the EU case, the dissertation shares best practices andnew theoretical perspectives on “information disorders” and the governance of our informationspace. It suggests using complexity science as a guiding framework to formulate responses thattackle dangerous and malicious acts while respecting the freedoms of liberal democracies.