Updated 1404 GMT (2204 HKT) January 30, 2020
Brussels (CNN)A European Union task force created to combat Russian disinformation is holding its first-ever summit on hostile foreign influence, as the bloc continues to try and tackle meddling from its eastern neighbor.
International experts gathered in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the evolving nature of the disinformation challenge within the EU, with an eye to mapping future threats and diagnosing areas of vulnerability, as well as identifying new solutions to the steep challenge.
«We are not seeking one magical instrument that will solve the problem,» said European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová, adding that the EU was looking to come up with cross-sector strategies to counter disinformation campaigns, particularly from Russia and China.
«As a person who grew up in a communist regime, I know what it means to be surrounded by lies and manipulation … this is here again with a strong intensity,» Jourová, who is from the Czech Republic, said. «This is not a wakeup call; it is a call to arms.»
Today, disinformation is deployed across an array of issues, she said, from migration, to health — most recently with the coronavirus — the climate change debate and suppressing participation in the electoral process.