Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference in Europe

This book examines how European Union (EU) member states understand and counter foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) as a challenge to democratic governance, political stability, and national security.

Mapping existing national approaches and practices, the book moves beyond one-size-fits-all solutions and highlights the diversity of strategies and capabilities developed across the EU for countering FIMI. Using a four-dimensional analytical framework (strategy, institutional capacity, regulation, and societal resilience), the book provides a systematic and comparative assessment of how EU member states address challenges posed by FIMI and identifies strengths and weaknesses in national responses, as well as patterns of convergence and divergence. The analysis covers both preventive measures, including pre-bunking and media literacy, and more active responses, such as debunking, disrupting hostile influence networks, and sanctions while assessing their practical, rather than theoretical, impact. The book further examines how EU member states conceptualise FIMI and positions their responses along a securitisation continuum, ranging from a societal challenge to a fully securitised threat associated with information warfare. Contributing to ongoing debates on information integrity, information security, and democratic resilience in Europe, the book offers practical insights for strengthening policy coordination while safeguarding fundamental freedoms.

This book will be of key interest to scholars, students, and practitioners in security studies, European studies, and foreign policy, EU institutions and regulation, and more broadly to international relations and media communications.