Global landscape of online population

The need for a more strategic EU approach to communication also results from the intensified propaganda and disinformation campaigns seeking to discredit the EU and eventually undermine its position. In recent times, disinformation has been used extensively in the context of Russia’s operations in Ukraine, as well as in media coverage of the conflict in Syria. Such campaigns usually play down the EU’s achievements while magnifying those of Russia by exposing the alleged divisions between EU Member States or the limited effectiveness of EU measures. Moreover, Russia has used the EU’s hardships stemming from the migration crisis and terrorist attacks in its territory to emphasise the flaws of the European integration project and to question its legitimacy. At the same time, given that more and more people have access to new technologies, information now circulates faster and more freely than ever, which implies, among other things, that the EU can do little to counter the questionable views and opinions expressed each time they appear.