Strengthening Democratic Resilience: Skytte Institute Engages in Discussions on Disinformation in France and Belgium

Over the past week, Stefano Braghiroli, Associate Professor of European Studies at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies (University of Tartu), took part in a series of high-level discussions on disinformation and democratic resilience across France and Belgium. The visit built on the momentum of the recently concluded NATO-funded project France and Estonia: Together Against Disinformation (FREETAD).

Funded by NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, FREETAD brought together the Johan Skytte Institute, the University of Bordeaux, the Catholic University of Lille, the University of Caen, and Normandy for Peace. The project deepened Franco-Estonian academic cooperation in tackling disinformation and hybrid threats, and laid the groundwork for continued engagement across inter-university and diplomatic circles.

The visit began at IRSEM Europe, the Brussels branch of the Institute for Strategic Research at the Military School of the French Ministry of Defence, where Dr. Braghiroli moderated a timely panel on the lessons learned from the 2024 European Parliament elections and ways to safeguard democratic integrity in the face of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI). The event, co-organized with the Skytte Institute and the Baltic Engagement Centre for Combating Information Disorders (BECID), featured experts Marion Loonela (European Parliament), Tudor Petru Fabian (European External Action Service), and Massimo Flore (Aurora Fellows). The keynote was delivered by Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia, followed by remarks from Alexandre Escorcia, Director for Euro-Atlantic Security at the French Ministry of Defence.

In Paris, Dr. Braghiroli joined a thought-provoking panel discussion titled “Democracy under siege: countering disinformation in times of polarization and global uncertainty,” hosted at the Estonian Embassy in Paris. Ambassador Lembit Uibo opened the event, which brought together speakers from academia, media, and diplomacy, including Antoine Bernard (Reporters Without Borders) and Charles Thepaut (French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs). The panel explored how democratic societies can respond to disinformation through multi-sector cooperation.

The final stop was at the Paris Campus of the Catholic University of Lille, where Dr. Braghiroli and Mari Luist, Estonian diplomat at the Estonian Embassy in Paris, took part in a panel discussion titled “Disinformation v. Democracy: Navigating an Age of Uncertainty.” Hosted by the Research Centre on the Relationship between Risks and Law, the session addressed legal and political responses to disinformation, drawing on both academic insight and diplomatic experience.

These events reflected not only the continuing positive spillover of the FREETAD project, but also the enduring need for transnational dialogue and collaboration to protect democratic values in an age of information warfare.

“Disinformation is perhaps the most insidious challenge faced by democratic societies today. Like a hydra, it takes many forms, and no single actor can tackle it alone. What we need is coordinated, transnational cooperation—across borders and sectors—to defend pluralism, trust, and democracy itself,” said Dr. Braghiroli.