Media landscapes across Europe face diverse challenges, including different ownership models, disinformation, and declining trust. Emphasizing the need for policy reforms, better funding distribution, and strengthened civil society efforts is crucial to building resilience and supporting independent journalism.

At the panel session “Building Europe’s Media Democracy Shield: Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference” during the Sofia Information Integrity Forum, several experts shared insights into the complexities of media ecosystems and disinformation across Europe. Marius Dragomir, Director, Media and Journalism Research Center, analyzed four media models: corporate, public interest, captured (Eastern Europe), and atomized, highlighting their impacts and the rise of financially sustainable independent niches. Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski, Security, Defense and Foreign Policy Section Coordinator, Chancellery of the President, Poland discussed Russia's tactics for maintaining power through disinformation and military deterrence, including the migration crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border. Bianka Toma, Project Manager, Romanian Center for European Policies, focused on EU-related disinformation, such as declining trust in the EU in Romania and the spread of narratives like "EU collapse." Andrei Curararu, Co-founder & Policy and Security expert, Watchdog.md, detailed Moldova’s susceptibility to Russian disinformation and the importance of inclusive communication. Amaury Lesplingart, CTO, Checkfirst Network, highlighted civil society's role in countering foreign influence, particularly combating Russia's 'operation overload' targeting fact-checkers. Maria Stoyanova, Analyst, Center for the Study of Democracy, called for policy reforms, better funding, and stronger big tech compliance to support media resilience and uphold democratic standards. The discussion was moderated by Goran Georgiev, Senior analyst, Center for the Study of Democracy.