The European External Action Service (EEAS) is under fire from lawmakers and civil society groups after it withdrew its backing for a major disinformation conference at the last minute, following pressure from Washington. The decision has raised questions about the EU's commitment to defending civil society and countering foreign interference, particularly from the United States.
The conference, organised by the NGO EU DisinfoLab, took place on Wednesday and Thursday in Vilnius, Lithuania. It is one of the few European-level gatherings dedicated to discussing disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). The EEAS asked organisers to remove its logo from conference materials just days before the event began, citing a lack of alignment with EU positions.
“We have decided to have the EEAS logo removed from the material associated with the conference in view of the content of the program,” said Christian Wigand, the EU's lead spokesperson for foreign affairs. “The organisers chose to frame some of the discussions in a way which does not align with the positions held by the EU.”
Critics argue that withdrawing support from an NGO-led initiative because of a clash with official EU positions undermines the European Democracy Shield, a framework designed to protect civil society and journalists from governmental pressure and foreign interference. MEP Alexandra Geese (Germany, Greens/EFA) was blunt: “Pressuring European governments to drop a disinformation conference to hide its own role in spreading disinformation is not diplomacy. It is foreign interference, and Europe should call it that.”
The EEAS declined to specify which parts of the programme were problematic. However, the conference included a panel titled “USA as a FIMI threat: acknowledge, adapt, push back,” featuring two researchers and Alex Finley, a former CIA official. Canada and Lithuania also asked for their logos to be removed following pressure from the US State Department, according to Euronews.
Domen Savic, co-founder of the NGO Državljan D, called the move “hugely irresponsible,” adding: “It shows a lack of commitment to actually fighting disinformation. That looks like the EU is treating disinformation as a commodity.”
MEP Brando Benifei (Italy, S&D) demanded a full explanation. “Frankly, it is difficult to see how the Vilnius discussions are so at odds with the EU’s stated position. Nor does it seem that we are filling this void with stronger European democracy by hiding our logos,” he told Euronews.
The decision was taken at a very high level within the EU institutions, catching even officials working directly on the issue off guard. A few days before the conference, Michael Shellenberger, a right-wing US commentator, emailed several speakers asking whether they had received government funding and whether they regarded the US government as a source of FIMI in Europe. The email, seen by Euronews, also asked about any contact with the State Department.
Some argue that Brussels should not pick a fight with Washington over an NGO-led conference, given the need for transatlantic unity against common adversaries. MEP Tomas Tobé (Sweden, EPP) said: “I regret that the US feels it is being perceived as a FIMI actor by the EU. When it comes to FIMI, the EU should remain firmly focused on the threat posed by Russia and other hostile actors. Full stop.”
Others see the withdrawal as a dangerous signal. Mattia Caniglia, an affiliate lecturer at the University of Glasgow, noted that the disinformation community has been under increasing pressure since Donald Trump returned to the White House. “EU institutions and the majority of member states react to these incidents like the world was still the one we had in 2010, but things have changed. Sacrificing the support to an NGO not to put important dossiers in peril will not work; standing for what we believe in will,” he said.
The latest EEAS report on FIMI, published in March, names China and Russia as hostile actors but does not mention the US. MEP Kim van Sparrentak (the Netherlands, Greens/EFA) warned: “The Trump government publicly states that they want to help the far right rise to power in Europe. If the Commission does not even dare to recognise US interference, because they fear Trump, we are lost.” She added that she is starting to question whether the European Commission can credibly lead and coordinate European responses to hybrid threats.
The episode comes as the EU grapples with how to address Russian disinformation targeting Baltic voters, a reminder of the broader challenges facing the bloc. The withdrawal from the Vilnius conference has also drawn attention to the EU's own vulnerabilities, with some experts suggesting that the bloc's institutions are not prepared for the new geopolitical realities.
