MEPs and High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell will discuss the latest report by the European External Action Service about disinformation on COVID-19, tomorrow 30 April.
The aim of the report published by the European External Action Service (EEAS) on 24 April, is to provide a snapshot overview of the current trends and insights into disinformation activities related to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world.
Borrell will answer questions from members of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) on the report and its publication.
The report notes a proliferation of misinformation, disinformation incidents, and other forms of manipulation and distortions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite their potentially grave impact on public health, official and state-backed sources from various governments have continued to widely target conspiracy narratives and disinformation both at public audiences in the EU and the wider neighbourhood, according to the text.
In a resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 17 April, MEPs also stressed that disinformation about COVID-19 is a major public health problem.
The EU should therefore establish a European information source to ensure that all citizens have access to accurate and verified information. MEPs also called on social media companies to proactively take the necessary measures to stop disinformation and hate speech related to the coronavirus
