Fragile Europe – Defending Democracy in an Age of Interference
Publication frames Europe’s fragility as an awareness of what can be lost, and therefore, what must urgently be defended.
Publication frames Europe’s fragility as an awareness of what can be lost, and therefore, what must urgently be defended.
Europe’s democratic resilience can no longer be taken for granted as foreign powers seeking to destabilise societies from within. Through disinformation campaigns, financial influence, digital manipulation, and the erosion of public trust, authoritarian actors such as Russia, China and other illiberal forces aim to turn Europe’s freedoms into vulnerabilities. Fragile Europe: Defending Democracy in an Age of Interference frames Europe’s fragility as an awareness of what can be lost, and therefore, what must urgently be defended.
The publication gathers analyses and case studies demonstrating how interference has evolved: from propaganda networks and dark money to AI-driven manipulation, diaspora influence, sports diplomacy and ideological infiltration at the extremes of the political spectrum. It argues that Europe must respond not by shrinking openness, but by reinforcing liberal democracy through transparency, civic participation, media integrity, technological safeguards, and shared action across borders. Defending Europe means modernising it: building resilience, protecting trust, and ensuring that freedom remains not only a value of the past, but a living system capable of resisting pressure today.