European News Agencies Call for Tougher Regulations to Combat Disinformation on Ukraine

European news agencies have issued urgent warnings about the growing threat of misinformation across the continent, calling for increased investment in quality journalism and stronger regulatory frameworks for digital platforms.

At a recent European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) debate held in the European Parliament, industry leaders highlighted the critical role news agencies play as reliable information sources amid an increasingly polluted digital landscape.

“Good intentions alone are not enough. What is needed is a structure and quality players who will fill the information environment with quality content, which really has a huge impact,” said Stefano De Alessandri, EANA president, during the parliamentary discussions.

De Alessandri pointed to a fundamental imbalance in the digital ecosystem: while tech giants invest heavily in data infrastructure, news agencies focus their limited resources on producing quality content that platforms then monetize at minimal cost. This disparity undermines the sustainability of trusted news sources.

“Truth does not spread suddenly or through audience habits: it can happen only through investments – in fact-checking, ensuring legal accountability, and journalists on the ground,” he emphasized, warning that inadequate support for quality journalism creates fertile ground for misinformation to flourish.

The European Commission is responding to these challenges through the EU Digital Services Act, which aims to hold social platforms accountable for spreading false information. A particular concern is the proliferation of AI-generated fake content, which poses significant threats to electoral processes across EU member states.

Gena Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, specifically highlighted deepfakes and automated bot accounts as systemic threats to democratic processes.

“Misinformation spreads with a single click. Malicious actors distort public debates and pose a risk to fair elections,” Virkkunen said, noting that European legislation will require appropriate labeling of all artificially generated images beginning in August.

The CEO of Belgian news agency Belga reinforced these concerns, warning that generative AI technologies are making it increasingly difficult for audiences to distinguish between authentic and fabricated content. He called for more robust legislative mechanisms to protect content integrity and counter manipulation techniques.

In response to these multifaceted challenges, the EU plans to support independent journalism with a substantial financial commitment of approximately €3.2 billion. This funding aims to strengthen the media sector’s financial resilience while combating the spread of false information.

The EANA itself is taking direct action. During its October 4 General Assembly in Rome, the alliance established a Committee for Countering Disinformation, to be led by Serhiy Cherevaty. This specialized committee will include representatives from member agencies, including prominent organizations such as AFP, DPA, and APA.

The European Alliance of News Agencies, established in 1956, currently comprises more than 30 leading European agencies, including Ukraine’s national information agency.

The parliamentary debates concluded that preserving trust in information requires a comprehensive approach involving greater transparency, platform accountability, and sustained support for high-quality journalism – all factors deemed essential for Europe’s democratic future.

As misinformation continues to evolve in sophistication and scale, these discussions underscore a growing recognition that combating false information is not merely about correcting individual falsehoods, but about strengthening the entire information ecosystem to ensure democracies can function on the basis of shared facts rather than manipulated narratives.