The European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) is taking part in the pilot phase of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience’s stakeholder platform. The pilot will test how the Centre and independent fact-checkers, civil society organisations, media, researchers and media literacy professionals across the EU can exchange information and cooperate to strengthen information integrity.
Disinformation does not stop at borders, and it affects every part of society. That requires different actors to work together. Foreign and domestic actors increasingly threaten the integrity of information spaces, and the stakeholder platform can help protect fundamental rights such as the freedom of information in Europe. Its whole-of-society approach makes it possible to tackle diverse threats to European democracies holistically.
The platform’s members will explore ways to cooperate effectively in the coming months. “We welcome the unique nature of this stakeholder platform, which brings together EU Member States, EU institutions and civil society around the same table, motivated by shared ambitions,” said Stephan Mündges, EFCSN Coordinator, at the launch event. Mündges also stressed that the independence of each partner must be respected: “Fact-checkers hold power to account. That includes the power of EU institutions, and it includes the power of Member State governments.”
EFCSN is one of two network organisations in the pilot phase, alongside the European Digital Media Observatory. The pilot is the first step of a wider rollout. A call for additional participants opens this autumn, and the formal launch is planned for spring 2027.
