By Cristian Pîrvulescu

One year after the 2024 European elections, the European Union is facing growing tensions between civic mobilisation and an illiberal offensive. On the one hand, high voter turnout in several Member States – including my own country, Romania – confirmed a renewed public interest in Europe’s future. And I will pause briefly to reflect on the Romanian case as an instructive experiment. On the other hand, this mobilisation has taken place in a context of polarisation, disinformation and systemic attacks on democratic values.

The 2024 elections brought historic gains for the far right in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, forming a significant obstructionist bloc in the European Parliament. What we are witnessing is not only an internal political realignment, but a coordinated illiberal offensive, fuelled by transnational networks and supported by geopolitical actors such as Russia. Identity-based, Eurosceptic and anti-rights narratives are circulating simultaneously across digital platforms, aiming to undermine pluralism, the rule of law and European cohesion.

The nature of conflict has shifted from the military to the informational and psychological sphere. Today’s hybrid warfare uses disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, deepfakes and manipulative algorithms to erode trust in democracy. The targets are clear: young people, minorities, independent media and electoral authorities. At the heart of this assault is a battle over perception – a mental and symbolic siege designed to foster confusion, cynicism and democratic apathy.

Algorithms as agents of radicalisation

Digital platforms – especially TikTok – mechanically amplify polarising content. It is no longer just about human users spreading disinformation, but about algorithmic systems that select, prioritise and normalise extremist rhetoric. This cognitive disorder directly undermines public reason, replacing deliberation with emotional reactions and confirmation bias.

TikTok has become a key tool for political mobilisation among young people, particularly in central and eastern Europe. Recent campaigns in Romania, Portugal, Germany and Poland have used the platform intensively to spread identity-driven, conspiratorial or anti-European messages. Its short, emotionally charged video format makes it an ideal medium for emotional radicalisation, operating beyond the reach of democratic control or effective regulation.

Romania: A case of fragile resilience

In Romania, the 2024-2025 elections saw record voter turnout, especially among young people. This helped defeat extremist candidates. However, this outcome should not be romanticised: democratic resilience manifested itself defensively, under the pressure of media polarisation and toxic disinformation campaigns, especially on TikTok and Telegram. Voting was often driven by rejection – a ‘no’ to populist excesses – rather than by active support for democratic values.

Romania continues to struggle with a severe budget deficit, deep social inequalities, an education system ill-equipped for civic and digital literacy, and a media space dominated by partisan and oligarchic interests. In this context, disinformation networks exploit social frustrations, especially among young people and minorities. Worse still, some political elites display a dangerous ambivalence, tolerating or even instrumentalising illiberal rhetoric for electoral purposes.

Romania offers a clear example of conditional democratic resilience: civic mobilisation can defeat populism, but it cannot replace public policy. Without structural reforms, critical education and effective digital regulation, democracy remains vulnerable. The lesson is clear: the electorate cannot be the only line of defence.

What can Europe do?

Europe can take multiple actions: enforce the Digital Services Act ambitiously, create an independent European information watchdog, invest heavily in civic and media literacy, support independent journalism, promote institutional counter-narratives adapted to younger audiences and include democratic resilience as a core criterion in the evaluation of EU funding.

Europe is not in democratic collapse, but it is traversing a zone of strategic vulnerability. It is subject to a permanent hybrid assault and a crisis of legitimacy, especially among younger generations. To defend democracy, the European Union must renew its tools, rethink the digital public space and actively support those societies on the frontline of this cognitive confrontation. Romania is one such case – not just a national test, but a true barometer of Europe’s democratic future.