We must not give up defending EU values

Undermining democracy will not make the European Union more competitive. In an increasingly challenging geopolitical landscape, building resilience to disinformation, fostering critical thinking and empowering civil society are essential to safeguarding European values, an EESC conference for civil society communicators concluded

‘In defence of European values: The Power of Civil Society’ was the theme of the Connecting EU seminar organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria on 6–7 July in Sofia.

It aimed to explore Europe's ability to protect its core values in the face of shifting economic priorities, mounting pressure on democratic trust, and the growing importance of security and competitiveness on the EU agenda. 

'Can Europe align competitiveness and the social model that has long set it apart? Can its democracy withstand growing pressure from foreign interference, disinformation and populism? And if democracy is not something we can take for granted, how do we defend it? After all, democracy survives only if people believe it can still improve their lives,' said Marija Hanževački, the EESC Vice-President for Communication, opening the seminar.

During the opening session, Séamus Boland, in a video message, warned that 'democracy weakens when citizens feel unheard, when public debate becomes polarised, and when civil society is pushed to the margins'. 'The answer cannot ever be less democracy. The answer must be deeper democracy: defending independent media, protecting civic space and supporting social and civil dialogue', he stressed.

Zornitsa Roussinova, President of the Economic and Social Council of Bulgaria and EESC member, outlined how the Council helped to counter a large-scale disinformation campaign during the debate on Bulgaria's adoption of the euro by providing reliable information with the support of the media. 

Danail Rusev, the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Bulgaria, emphasised the importance of collaborating with the Economic and Social Council of Bulgaria on labour market issues, social inclusion, corporate social responsibility, and the social and solidarity economy. 

Stoyan Trichkov, a Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, called for a return to open, democratic debate and warned against the political misuse of 'European values' to block justified criticism. 

In his keynote speech, Dave Keating, a Brussels-based journalist and author of ‘The Owned Continent’, focused on Europe’s deep dependence on the United States, and what he sees as the excessive caution of European politicians and heads of EU institutions when it comes to strengthening their independence, including in trade policy, in the face of US pressure. 

'After 1989, Eastern Europe decided to embrace that Western model of American control, for obvious reasons vastly preferring it to the brutality of Soviet control. But this arrangement was always tenuous and risky. Europe put all its eggs in the American basket. And today, that basket is collapsing', he argued. 

He believes that the solution is to significantly deepen European integration in order to “achieve sovereignty through EU federation”. 'Europeans hear one message their whole lives: America is big bold and beautiful while Europe is old, tired and lame. We need to change that narrative. We need to foster European pride, mindful of the horrific mistakes of the past but moving on, learning from that, and creating a European civic nationalism,' said Keating.

The first panel discussion, 'Europe's New Economic Compass: Balancing Competitiveness, Social Rights and Sustainability', opened with a round table with Presidents and representatives from three EESC groups debating how to strike a balance between simplification and deregulation, and respect for social rights and the principles of a sustainable economy.

‘Our plea has never been to reduce the level of protection for people, consumers, or workers. Our plea has always been that inefficient regulation needs to be tackled. It only makes life more complicated for those who have to fill in the forms instead of doing their jobs,’ argued Sandra Parthie, President of the EESC Employers’ Group. 

For his part, Florian Marin, representing the EESC Workers' Group, emphasised the importance of redefining competitiveness in a way that benefits society and the environment. ‘Leaving aside the social aspect of competitiveness is a fundamental mistake. The market should serve society and contribute to a better society, not the other way round. The social market economy is in the EU Treaty for a reason,’ he said. 

Cillian Lohan, President of the EESC Civil Society Organisations’ Group, emphasised the importance of sustainability as a foundation for economic growth. ‘Our high standards are not intended to make it difficult for businesses to operate. Rather, they are designed to reward the most competitive businesses that adhere to them, as well as consumers who need to know what they are buying,’ Mr Lohan stressed.

Other panelists agreed that Europe must become more competitive, but differed on how to achieve it. Some argued that simplifying and reducing regulation is essential to strengthen businesses and the economy, while others warned that improving economic indicators are masking falling living standards, rising poverty and housing insecurity. Client Earth's Anne Friel supported better regulation but argued that the current "simplification" agenda is weakening environmental and social protections rather than merely cutting red tape.

The second panel discussion, 'Europe’s democratic compass: Can Trust and Resilience Be Restored?', was preceded by a presentation of the report, 'Tackling "TikTokcracy" in the Balkans: A Blueprint for Fighting Algorithmic Manipulation in Europe', by Antoinette Nikolova, Director of the Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI). 

Her primary focus was on an analysis of the Bulgarian parliamentary elections of April 2026. Ms Nikolova identified three main tactics used on social media during Bulgaria's election campaign: activating dormant networks and repurposing existing social media pages under new names ("audience laundering"); highly coordinated but inauthentic activity across multiple platforms; and the systematic hijacking of opponents' hashtags.

‘I don't think we'll lose if we refuse to play by the same rules. The key is to foster critical thinking and encourage people to respond quickly to the challenges we've discussed. Our experience shows that we can find solutions – perhaps not perfect ones, but by moving forward one small step at a time,' said Ms Nikolova.

The panelists emphasised that, due to mistrust of journalists and fact-checkers, it is not enough for them simply to expose and correct false information. One of the desired approaches is therefore to teach media literacy, so that citizens can independently and objectively assess what they see in the information landscape. To keep up with manipulative campaigns that are sometimes backed by huge resources (sometimes government-funded), civil society needs to mobilise much more. 

Furthermore, it is important to remember that renewing social contract around social issues such as housing and decent work reduces susceptibility to manipulators offering catchy solutions. “People trust people. Go offline, meet people and persuade them through personal contact,’ urged Sebastián Rodríguez, campaign strategist at the European Movement International.

On the second day of the Connecting EU seminar, participants took part in interactive sessions exploring the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) in communication, with a focus on AI's impact on the information space and the growing role of AI agents. 

David Grunewald, AI strategist and trainer, spoke in favour of using European AI models to safeguard European data sovereignty and the European economy.

"Choosing AI in Europe is not only a matter of efficiency. It is a matter of sovereignty, resilience and long-term economic consequences", he said.

The programme also featured a practical LinkedIn workshop designed to help participants strengthen their professional visibility and personal brand.