Sandu on Combating Propaganda: It Takes New International Rules for Social Media

The EU needs to take a tougher stance against disinformation and war propaganda. For too long the EU has treated this problem superficially. This was stated by President Maia Sandu at the “New Europe” European Forum in Alpbach 2022 in Austria, reports nokta.md. According to Maia Sandu, Europe must be strong to be able to support its citizens, principles and values, which Europeans cherish and Ukrainian citizens have decided to fight for. Countering misinformation, strengthening energy security and a faster transition to renewable energy, fighting corruption together and expanding the EU peace project are some of the president’s proposals for a stronger Europe. “One of the greatest dangers to democracy in Europe is disinformation. We need to do much more to combat propaganda than we have done in the last decade. For too long, the EU has treated this topic superficially, and the tools used have been ineffective (...) Moldova has become a testing ground for disinformation tools. Today we are witnessing a campaign that justifies the war in Ukraine through propaganda and disinformation. Unfortunately, there are many people who fall into this trap, no matter what country they live in or what language they speak (...). We need new international rules for social media, no matter how unpopular it may sound,” Maia Sandu said. At the same time, according to Maia Sandu, Europe needs to strengthen its energy security in order to become more sustainable. Point