In order to minimize the negative effects of disinformation on democracy, we must fight against it together. Therefore, the institutions need to be transparent in order for the media and civil society to work actively on their verification and disclosure but at the same time, it would be necessary to introduce media education for critical thinking, Portalb.mk writes.

This was stated at the panel discussion on The Security Threats for Democracy and European Efforts in Fighting Disinformation within the 18th edition of the 2-day international conference e-Society organized by the Metamorphosis Foundation in Skopje. At the panel discussion hosted by Filip Stojanovski from Metamorphosis, panelists from European institutions and fact checkers from the Western Balkans discussed topics related to the impact of disinformation on democracy in the region and in Europe.

Dr. Jasna Jelisic, head of the Working Group for the Western Balkans in the European External Affairs Service, showed how the EU faced the impact of disinformation, which is a global issue, not just a problem in the Western Balkans. 'In 2018, just prior to the European elections, we had devised an action plan against disinformation and we also had a Code of Practice and this was the first time for big platforms to be engaged by European institutions. Since this year, we also have a law on digital services, which is a clear regulation from European institutions that's currently in place and has certain responsibilities for the control of large platforms.

The harmonization of the legislation with that of the EU is one process that the must be implemented in the Western Balkans. The EU is a partner and the biggest investor in the Western Balkans but there are manipulative narratives that are being spread in an attempt to present a different picture that Brussels is seeing,' Jelisic said, expressing her satisfaction with the alignment of the leaders from the Western Balkans in the fight against the manipulations and hybrid attacks. She said that the professionalization of the media, media education for critical thinking, the action of civil society and institutions are crucial in the fight against misinformation.

Carlos Hernández-Echevarria said that fact-checking plays a key role in the EU and is hoping that it will be applied in all member states and countries that have applied for EU membership. 'The fight is to make the big platforms responsible and accountable. The solutions of the authorities for mass platforms and in relation to disinformation, must be both global and European because disinformation, especially in Europe, knows no boundaries. The main problem in the EU regarding this issue is that a model must be developed that will interact with these in order to deal with it,' Hernández-Echevarria said.

He also stressed that fact-checkers should be more proactive and open and to respect established standards for distancing themselves from politics, adding that the most important thing we can do is to provide media education and critical thinking, not just among children but also in the entire society.

Jelena Berkovic from Factograph from Croatia said that the disinformation issue is global and therefore there must be a global solution. She also called for the maintenance of high standards for fact-checking. 'We must systematically build a factual reality around us. Fixed coordinations that people in society must have in order to trust the system and get involved in what needs to be done. The role of civil society is really important, especially since fact-checkers started with strict standards and Factograph, which I'm also a member of, has to make certain changes to adapt to these standards. I am looking forward to the European network expanding beyond the EU and bring together all those interested in fact-checking up to the highest standards. If you stick to them, you'll be able to be one of the parties at the table where the big decision-makers, such as governments, are sitting', said Berkovic.

Darko Berkan from the Bosnian organization Why Not is hoping that this whole discussion, which includes a growing number of interested parties from all over the continent, will offer broader observations and a stricter control at the European and international levels. 'As fact-checkers, we and all other parties, who are working to control information at the local level, people who are dealing with media education and journalism, with confidential information, education and people in general, who work in regulation and similar branches certainly cannot do much if their efforts are focused only locally. If you don't check the platforms, if you don't set principles for what the entire information sector should look like, this will hardly fix things from a local standpoint. 'Journalists and the media should be more alert to this threat and focus on the cooperation with fact-checkers and other players, who are working with disinformation and are trying to improve the media space,' said Darko Brkan.

Patrice Pustina from Factoje Albania talked about the recent developments involving the cyber attacks by Iranian agents and the lack of transparency on behalf of the Government, which has left a lot of room for speculation. 'The Government hasn't provided any information about the whole case. We are faced with a complete lack of transparency, which opens up a lot of opportunities for speculation. We are faced with apathy from the public but as a result, I don't think the media space provides quality journalism at all. We have many online portals that are spreading disinformation without a relevant context, sometimes even completely fake news that are not aimed at any target. Their main goal is to collect clicks and views, they don't have a malicious intent but only to generate it in itself,' Pustina said.

Fitim Gashi from Sbunker Kosovo said that with regards to disinformation, Kosovo is a unique case and mentioned several cases where disinformation is produced in parallel with the political developments in the country, most of which are coming from Serbia. 'For the citizens living in the northern part of the country, the main problem is the lack of access to information, perhaps due to the ethnic division, the citizens there aren't well-informed by the mainstream but rather by the Belgrade media instead. The main misinformation is due to the agreement, which is a subjec of interest for Kosovo. There's also misinformation about the war in Ukraine translated by Serbian media and about the existence of mercenaries from Kosovo. There was even misinformation aimed at portraying Kosovo as an entity that isn't 'stable'. Institutions should be as transparent as possible, the media and civil society should play their role in disclosing disinformation and media education should start from a very early age,' Gashi said.

Otherwise, this year's edition of e-Opshtestvo.mk lasted for 2 days and consisted of 7 panel discussions, 2 inspirational speeches, 1 televised debate and 1 screening of the film Sisters by Dina Duma at the Cinematheque of North Macedonia. Activists, experts, journalists, civil servants and supporters from the Western Balkans and beyond shared their views and opinions on the digital transformation of public administration and societies in the region, respect for human rights online, the supervision and processing of biometric data, privacy, the consequences of cyber violence in real life as well as bridging the gender gap in cyber security.

At the Conference, there were also several discussions about the narratives in disinformation, its effects and harmful foreign influences on democracy in North Macedonia as well as the security threats to democracy and the European efforts to fight disinformation.