Promise and Pitfalls: Examining Challenges and Opportunities in Visegrad Region

Experts Call for Stronger Democratic Defenses Against Disinformation in Central Europe

A high-level panel of media professionals and policy experts gathered in Slovakia on December 3 to examine critical gaps in Europe’s defenses against disinformation and hybrid warfare. The event centered around Visegrad Insight’s comprehensive report titled “Democracies at War. War on Democracies,” which uses four different scenarios to test European resilience against information threats.

Beata Balogova, former editor-in-chief of leading Slovak newspaper SME, delivered a pointed critique of current approaches to fighting disinformation. She emphasized that treating the spread of false information as solely a journalistic problem fundamentally misidentifies the issue’s nature and allows political actors to escape accountability.

“We can’t expect journalists alone to solve this crisis,” Balogova noted. “When political leaders avoid responsibility for addressing disinformation, they create a vacuum that malicious actors eagerly exploit.”

Hanna Shelest, director of security programmes at Ukrainian Prism, brought practical experience from Ukraine’s ongoing information war with Russia. She drew an important distinction between traditional total defense strategies, which primarily fall under government jurisdiction, and broader national resilience efforts that require coordination across multiple sectors.

“National resilience isn’t just about government action,” Shelest explained. “It demands preparation and coordination between individuals, private companies, civil society organizations, and local institutions. Each has a critical role in maintaining democratic integrity.”

The panel highlighted Slovakia as a particularly vulnerable case study, where disinformation outlets continue to thrive. Recent polling suggests that approximately half of Slovaks do not view Russia as a security threat, despite overwhelming evidence of Russian interference across Europe. This perception gap illustrates the success of long-running influence operations in the region.

The discussion underscored that the European Union’s current approach—primarily focused on broad communications from Brussels—fails to address the complexity of the challenge. Participants called for a more comprehensive strategy with three key elements: clear and adaptable regulations for digital platforms, truly independent regulatory authorities, and substantive support for independent media and civil society organizations operating on the frontlines of information warfare.

This event forms part of a broader three-year initiative led by Visegrad Insight across Central and Eastern Europe, supported by the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programmes. The initiative seeks to build regional resilience against information threats through collaborative research, scenario planning, and policy development.

The Democracy Shield concept, while promising in theory, faces significant implementation challenges in countries like Slovakia where institutional weaknesses and historical ties to Russia create fertile ground for disinformation campaigns. Media experts at the event noted that these campaigns often exploit legitimate public concerns about economic insecurity and rapid social change.

“What makes disinformation particularly dangerous in Central Europe is how it weaves together half-truths with outright falsehoods,” one participant observed. “When people already feel economic anxiety or cultural displacement, they become more susceptible to narratives that offer simple explanations and scapegoats.”

The panel concluded that effective democratic defense requires a whole-of-society approach that goes beyond technical solutions or media literacy campaigns. It demands political will, cross-sector collaboration, and recognition that information security is as vital to national sovereignty as physical borders.

As hybrid threats continue to evolve, the experts emphasized the urgency of implementing these recommendations before the next electoral cycles across Europe. Without stronger safeguards, they warned, democratic institutions will remain vulnerable to sophisticated influence operations designed to undermine public trust and social cohesion.

The full report, which details specific policy recommendations and future scenarios, is available on the Visegrad Insight website.