EU denies US pressure behind withdrawal from disinformation conference

The European Union has denied that pressure from the United States prompted it to withdraw its logo from a major conference on disinformation in Lithuania, insisting that the decision was instead linked to the way organisers had drawn up the programme. Issued on: 09/10/2026 - 13:53 2 min Reading time The EU’s diplomatic service, the European External Action Service (EEAS), had been a sponsor of Disinfo2026, organised by an independent Brussels non-profit. The conference opened in Vilnius on Wednesday and brings together researchers, journalists and experts working on foreign interference and online manipulation. But the EEAS logo was removed from conference material shortly before the event, alongside those of Canada and Lithuania – fuelling reports that US President Donald Trump’s administration had pressed allies to distance themselves from the gathering. “The decision was taken in view of the programme,” EEAS spokesperson Christian Wigand told reporters in Brussels on Thursday. Asked repeatedly whether pressure from Washington had played a role, Wigand said the logo was removed “because of the way the organisers had designed the programme”. “That is the reason,” he said, without going into details. US as disinformation risk The controversy centres on a conference session examining whether the United States itself could constitute a threat to Europe in terms of disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference, or FIMI. The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday that US officials had approached several governments over their support for the event, with Washington objecting in particular to a panel titled “USA as an FIMI threat: adapt, acknowledge, push back”. Wigand declined to say whether contacts had taken place with US officials, telling reporters that he did not comment on diplomatic exchanges. He said only that organisers had chosen to present some discussions “in a way that does not correspond to the EU’s official positions”. Trump's cuts to US-funded media a blow to press freedom, EU warns The Trump administration has increasingly argued that initiatives presented as combating disinformation can amount to censorship or restrictions on freedom of expression. Canada also reviewed its involvement in several panels, including one it had been due to chair on disinformation in the Arctic, citing “changes made to the content”. Ottawa nevertheless sent three representatives to Vilnius and stressed that decisions over its participation were taken according to Canadian interests and priorities. France, meanwhile, kept its name and logo on the event. French officials told AFP news agency that support for the conference had been decided several months ago and that there was “no reason to change” that commitment. Paris denied facing any “pressure or threats” and stressed that the organisers retained full control over the programme. ‘A new battleground’: France takes its fight against disinformation online France on disinformation front line Paris faces an increasingly intense challenge from foreign information manipulation, particularly linked to Russia. The EEAS’s latest annual threat assessment, published in March, identified France as the second most targeted country worldwide for documented FIMI incidents in 2025 – behind only Ukraine. The EU diplomatic service recorded 112 incidents targeting Ukraine and 107 involving France, ahead of Moldova with 94 and Germany with 71. Russia was by far the principal state actor identified in the wider European information threat landscape. French authorities have repeatedly warned that Russian-linked networks seek to exploit political and social divisions, undermine confidence in public institutions and weaken support for Ukraine. The tactics have ranged from networks of fake news websites and fabricated social media accounts to manipulated videos and deepfakes. French political figures and the country’s electoral system have increasingly been targeted ahead of the 2027 presidential election. (with newswires)