The concatenation of European crises shows major transformations in the contemporary international arena and points to the reasons for a structural change in the modes and uses of European public diplomacy, both inside and outside of EU institutions. Since 2008, European institutions have learned to live in a state of crisis and response: the Eurozone crisis (2008), the Ukrainian issue (2014), the refugee movement (2015), the Brexit referendum (2016), the new transatlantic relationship (2017), and the COVID19 pandemic (2019). Each of these situations has caused a tremendous amount of stress and strain that has tested institutions and offered a lesson in international political communication as well.
But what’s new in the current Russian crisis? What’s the role of disinformation in the EU future? Why is disinformation recognized as the “biggest challenge and threat” to the EU power? In this context, the construction of the enlightened dream of the EU is fading in the biggest political and economic crisis of its history. The fight against disinformation will be decisive in the future of the EU based not only on rational arguments, but also on other attributes of public communication and political leadership. There is reason for hope.
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