REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of the Communication "Tackling online disinformation: a European Approach"
Date: 2018-12-05
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: Internet, advertising, consumer protection, digital literacy, disinformation, dissemination of information, election, information, information user, press

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 5.12.2018  COM(2018) 794 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS          on the implementation of the Communication                    "Tackling online disinformation: a European Approach"  
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION 

On  26  April  2018,  the  Commission  adopted  its  Communication  on  “Tackling  Online 
Disinformation:  a  European  Approach”  (Communication)1.  The  Communication  delineates 
the challenges online disinformation present to our democracies and outlines five clusters of 
actions for private and public stakeholders that respond to these challenges.  
This Report accompanies the Joint Communication “Action Plan against Disinformation”2. It 
sets  out  the  Commission’s  assessment  of  the  progress  made  in  the  implementation  of  the 
actions set out in the April Communication. 

2.  STATUS OF ACTIONS 

2.1  A more transparent, trustworthy and accountable online ecosystem 

2.1.1  Online  platforms  to  act  swiftly  and  effectively  to  protect  users  from 

disinformation 

The  first  set  of  actions  aims  at  creating  a  more  transparent,  trustworthy  and  accountable 
online ecosystem. The outlined actions include the development of a self-regulatory code of 
practice  on  disinformation  for  online  platforms  and  the  advertising  industry  in  order  to 
increase  transparency  and  better  protect  users;  the  creation  of  an  independent  European 
network of fact-checkers to establish common working methods, exchange best practices and 
achieve  the  broadest  possible  coverage  across  the  EU;  the  promotion  of  voluntary  online 
identification  systems  to  improve  the  traceability  and  identification  of  suppliers  of 
information;  and  the  use  of  the  EU  research  and  innovation  programme  (Horizon  2020)  to 
mobilise  new  technologies,  such  as  artificial  intelligence,  block  chain  and  cognitive 
algorithms. 

In  May  2018  the  Commission  convened  the  Multistakeholder  Forum  on  Disinformation 
(Forum)  to  draft  a  self-regulatory  Code  of  Practice  on  Disinformation  (Code)3.  The  Forum 
consisted of a “Working Group” composed of the major online platforms, and representatives 
of the advertising industry and major advertisers, as well as a “Sounding Board” composed of 
representatives of the media, academia and civil society. The Working Group was tasked with 
drafting the Code, and the Sounding Board was tasked with providing advice and issuing an 
Opinion on the Code. The Code was published on 26 September, along with the Opinion of 
the Sounding Board4.  

The  Code  comprises  a  Preamble,  a  statement  of  Purposes,  and  a  set  of  15  Commitments 
prefaced by explanatory comments that reference the Communication's objectives, detail the 
commitments'  scope  and  purposes,  and  provide  context.  The  commitments  are  organised 
under five fields:  

1.  Scrutiny of ad placements 
2.  Political advertising and issue-based advertising 
3.  Integrity of services 
4.  Empowering consumers  
5.  Empowering the research community 

1   Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic 
and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions,  Tackling  online  disinformation:  a  European 
at: 
(2018) 
Approach, 
http://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=51804. 
JOIN(2018) 36. 
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/meeting-multistakeholder-forum-disinformation.  
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/code-practice-disinformation.  

26.4.2018, 

available 

2  
3  
4  

COM 

final, 

236 

1 

 
 
                                                           
Signatories to the Code are required to identify which of these commitments they will adhere 
to, in light of their relevance to the products or services they provide. The Code includes, as 
an integral part, annexes that identify the specific policies and actions signatories will pursue 
to implement the Code.  

The Code establishes additional commitments requiring signatories to report on and assess the 
Code's  implementation,  functioning  and  effectiveness,  based  on  annual  self-assessment 
reports  that  will  be  reviewed  by  an  objective  Third-Party  Organisation  selected  by  the 
signatories.  The  signatories  also  commit  to  cooperating  with  Commission  in  assessing  the 
Code, including providing information upon request and responding to questions. 

On 16 October, the Code's initial signatories provided their formal subscriptions to the Code 
identifying  the  commitments  each  signatory  will  adhere  to  and  a  table  listing  relevant 
company best  practices  as well as milestones for the overall implementation of the Code in 
the  EU5.  The  initial  signatories  are:  Facebook,  Google,  Twitter  and  Mozilla  as  well  as  the 
trade association representing online platforms (EDIMA) and trade associations representing 
the advertising industry and advertisers (EACA, IAB Europe, WFA and UBA)6.  

 In  addition,  Facebook,  Google,  Twitter  and  Mozilla  have  outlined  a  number  of  specific 
activities  they  will  carry  out  with  a  view  to,  and  in  advance  of,  the  European  elections  of 
spring 2019, focusing on the security and integrity of elections.  

The Commission considers that the Code provides an appropriate framework for pursuing the 
objectives  for  the  Code  set  out  in  the  Communication.  It  also  considers  that  the  Code  is 
consistent  with  the  Commission's  Principles  for  Better  Self-and  Co-Regulation.  Its  initial 
signatories represent a large share of the online news distribution sector. 

The  Commission  emphasises  that  the  Code's  completion  should  be  viewed  as  a  first  step. 
Signatories must now work to ensure the robust implementation, scale-up and enforcement of 
policies  and  actions  they  have  identified.  The  Commission  takes  the  view  that  its 
implementation should be carried out on a full, effective and timely basis.  

The  Commission  will  ask  the  signatories  for  up-to-date  information  about  measures  taken 
towards  the  implementation  of  the  Code  by  the  end  of  2018.  The  Commission  intends  to 
publish this information in January 2019. 

Moreover,  between  January  and  May  2019,  the  Commission  will  carry  out  a  targeted 
monitoring  of  the  Code  to  verify  that  effective  policies  with  particular  pertinence  to  the 
integrity  of  the  electoral  processes  are  in  place  before  the  European  elections,  more 
specifically  compliance  with  key  parameters  in  the  Code  (scrutiny  of  ad  placement, 
transparency  of  political  advertising,  closure  of  fake  accounts  and  marking  systems  for 
automated bots). The platforms should provide  complete information,  including by  replying 
to Commission's specific requests, on how are they are implementing the commitments on a 
monthly basis. This information will also be published. 

By the end of 2019, the Commission will carry out a comprehensive assessment at the end of 
the Code's initial 12-month period. Should the results prove unsatisfactory, the Commission 
may propose further actions, including of a regulatory nature. 

The Commission will seek the assistance of ERGA, the independent network of audio-visual 
regulators  under  the  Audio-visual  Media  Services  Directive  (AVMSD),  in  monitoring  the 
implementation of the Code in the various Member States. ERGA is uniquely placed to carry 

5  

6 

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/online-platforms-advertisers-and-advertising-industry-
present-commissioner-mariya-gabriel.  
Under  the  Code,  the  trade  association  signatories,  while  not  entering  into  obligations  on  behalf  of  their 
members, have committed to make their members fully aware of the Code and to encourage them to join it 
or respect its principles, as appropriate. 

2 

 
                                                           
out this task given the expertise and competence of its members. The Commission may also 
seek the assistance of the European audio-visual observatory. 

In  monitoring  the  implementation  of  the  Code,  the  Commission  envisages  to  collect  the 
following information from the signatories: 

A. Scrutiny of ad placements 
1. Deploy policies and processes to disrupt 
advertising and monetisation incentives for 
relevant behaviours  

  Number of accounts removed for 
violation of platform advertising 
policies (e.g. policies against 
misrepresentation) 

  Policies put in place to demote sites or 
accounts that distribute disinformation 
or inauthentic information (e.g., click-
bait) 

  Percentage of contracts between 

advertisers and ad network operators 
with brand safety stipulations against 
placement of ads on disinformation 
websites 

  Number of websites blocked for 
duplicating or "scraping" content 
produced by other websites 

B. Political advertising and issue-based advertising 
2. All advertisements should be clearly 
distinguishable from editorial content 

  Ads properly labelled as political 

advertising as a % of overall political 
ads 

3. Enable public disclosure of political 
advertising 

4. Devising approaches to publicly disclose 
"issue-based advertising" 
C. Integrity of services 
5. Put in place clear policies regarding 
identity and the misuse of automated bots on 
their services 

  Actions taken to ensure all political 

ads are properly labelled 

  Number of political or issue-based ads 
taken down for failure to comply with 
platform guidelines on the 
transparency of political advertising 
  Number of records added to public 

 

disclosure repositories  
Information on amounts received 
from political parties, candidates, 
campaigns and foundations for 
political or issue-based advertising 

  Policies to verify the identity of 

 

political ads providers 
Information on progress on this 
commitment 

  Number of identified active fake 

accounts  

  Number of identified active fake 
accounts disabled for violation of 
platform policies  
Information on measures to ensure all 
bots are clearly labelled as such. 
  Number of posts, images, videos or 

 

comments acted against for violation 

3 

 
6. Put in place policies on what constitutes 
impermissible use of automated systems 

D. Empowering consumers 
7. Invest in products, technologies and 
programs […] to help people make informed 
decisions when they encounter online news 
that may be false 

8. Invest in technological means to prioritise 
relevant, authentic and authoritative 
information where appropriate in search, 
feeds, or other automatically ranked 
distribution channels. 

9. Invest in features and tools that make it 
easier for people to find diverse perspectives 
about topics of public interest 

10. Partner with civil society, governments, 
educational institutions, and other 
stakeholders to support efforts aimed at 
improving critical thinking and digital media 
literacy 
11. Encourage market uptake of tools that 
help consumers understand why they are 
seeing particular advertisements  
E. Empowering the research community 
12. Support good faith independent efforts to 
track Disinformation and understand its 
impact 
13. Not to prohibit or discourage good faith 
research into Disinformation and political 
advertising on their platforms 
14. Encourage research into Disinformation 
and political advertising 

4 

 

of platform policies on the misuse of 
automated bots 
Information on policies about the 
misuse of bots, including information 
about such bot-driven interactions 
  Number of bots disabled for malicious 
activities violating the platforms’ 
policies 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information on investments made in 
such tools or other progress towards 
this commitment 
Information on actual use of such 
tools by consumers 
Information on collaborations with 
media organisations and fact-checkers 
to carry out this commitment, 
including development of indicators 
of trustworthiness 
Information on measures to make 
fact-checked content more visible and 
widespread. 
Information on progress on this 
commitment 
Information on collaborations with 
media organisations and fact-checkers 
to carry out this commitment , 
including the development of 
indicators of trustworthiness 
Information on investments made in 
such tools or other progress towards 
this commitment 
Information on availability of such 
tools and use of such tools by 
consumers  
Information about initiatives carried 
out or planned by signatories, 
including degree of coverage across 
Member States 

 

Information on actual uptake of such 
tools and use by consumers 

 

 

 

Information on collaborations with 
fact-checkers and researchers, 
including records shared 
Information on policies implementing 
this commitment 

Information on policies implementing 
this commitment 

 
 
15. Convene an annual event to foster 
discussions within academia, the fact-
checking community and members of the 
value chain 

  Report on the annual event  

This information should be provided on an individual Member State basis in order enable the 
assessment of gaps and variations in the Code's implementation and impact across the Union. 

The Commission recognises, as the Code states, that "because the various Signatories operate 
differently, with different purposes, technologies and audiences, the Code allows for different 
approaches  to  accomplishing  the  spirit  of  the  provisions  herein".  The  information  the 
signatories provide should therefore reflect the particularities of their respective services.  

It is also important to strike a balance between the right to freedom of expression and the need 
for  citizens  to  be  properly  informed.  In  this  context,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
disinformation  very  often  does  not  qualify  as  illegal  content;  where  it  does  qualify  (e.g.  as 
defamation  or  hate  speech),  it  will  also  be  subject  to  specific  remedies  under  Union  or 
national law (e.g., take-down of content), the effectiveness of which may be quantifiable. The 
Code  addresses  an  array  of  objectives  related  to  disinformation,  some  of  which  can  be 
quantified,  such  as  transparency  of  political  ads  or  measures  to  reduce  the  number  of  fake 
accounts, while others, such as consumer empowerment, can be implemented in ways that are 
not always quantifiable. For these reasons, the overall assessment of the Code will necessarily 
comprise both qualitative and quantitative data for analysis as appropriate.  

2.1.2  Strengthening fact checking, collective knowledge, and monitoring 

capacity on disinformation 

The  Commission  committed,  as  a  first  step,  to  support  the  creation  of  an  independent 
European network of fact-checkers. As a second step, the Commission committed to launch a 
secure European online platform on disinformation, offering analytical tools and cross-border 
data collection, including Union-wide open data and online platforms usage data, to support 
detection and analysis of disinformation sources and dissemination patterns.  

The Commission organised a series of technical  workshops with representatives of the fact-
checking community in 2018. It selected relevant projects under the research and innovation 
programme  Horizon 2020. Furthermore, the Commission,  in  cooperation  with  the European 
Parliament, organised a fact-checking conference in view of the European elections.7 

These actions have contributed to:  

  mapping  and  networking  together  independent  fact-checking  organisations  in  the 

Member States; 

  ascertaining  which  tools  and  services  are  essential  and  can  improve  fact-checking 
activities  and  their  impact  (e.g.  access  to  EUROSTAT  data,  translation  tools, 
automated  stream  of 
fact-checking 
organisations); 
Identifying professional and ethical standards for independent fact-checking; and 

 
  Providing tools and infrastructural support to fact-checking organisations. 

fact-checks  produced  by 

relevant 

the 

In  particular,  a  support  action  SOMA  (Social  Observatory  for  Disinformation  and  Social 
Media  Analysis)8,  was  selected  under 
to  create  a 

the  Horizon  2020  programme 

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20180920IPR14065/fact-checking-in-the-eu.  

7  
8   www.disinfobservatory.org. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
multidisciplinary  community,  including  fact-checkers  and  academic  researchers,  to  enhance 
detection  as  well  as  analytical  capabilities  and  better  understand  various  types  of 
disinformation threats. To this end, SOMA, which was launched on 1 November 2018, will 
provide an IT pilot infrastructure.  

To prepare the second step, the Commission proposed, under the Connecting Europe Facility 
work  programme  2019,  the  creation  of  a  new  digital  service  infrastructure  for  the 
establishment  of  a  European  Platform  on  Disinformation.  The  digital  service  infrastructure 
should scale up the collaboration between fact-checkers and academic researchers in order to 
ensure full coverage of the Union territory and facilitate the build-up and interconnection of 
relevant national organisations.  

The  actions  taken  by  the  Commission  have  increased  interest  in  fact-checking  activities  in 
Europe. Online platforms, media outlets, and fact-checkers are planning projects with a view 
to European elections. 

For  instance,  the  International  Fact-checking  Network  (IFCN)  is  creating  an  alliance  of 
European  fact-checkers  that  should  contribute  to  a  project  focused  on  European  Parliament 
elections.  A  similar  project  is  planned  by  the  European  Broadcasting  Union  (EBU),  which 
represents  public  service  media  organisations.  Online  platforms,  such  as  Google  and 
Facebook,  have  expressed  their  interest  in  collaborating  with  such  projects.  The  support 
action SOMA should promote cooperation among these initiatives and boost their efficiency 
and impact. 

The  project  should  operate  according  to  established  and  recognised  professional  standards 
(e.g.,  IFCN  principles,  ethical  research,  and  journalistic  standards).  Moreover,  participants 
should operate with full independence, free from public interference and based on governance 
rules set out by the participant organisations.  

However, current fact-checking efforts do not offer sufficient geographical coverage or have 
the capacity to keep abreast of the increasing volumes of online news content. For instance, 
the  IFCN  network  currently  covers  only  12  Member  States.  The  EBU's  fact-checking 
network,  while  having  Europe-wide  coverage,  only  provides  services  to  EBU  members. 
Moreover, fact-checking activities are very often limited to the verification of online content, 
without analysis of disinformation sources and patterns.  

While  the  digital  service  infrastructure  financed  under  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility 
programme should provide infrastructure to facilitate networking and cross-border exchange 
of  information  between  fact-checkers  and  academic  researchers,  an  efficient  and  effective 
response  to  disinformation  threats  requires  the  strengthening  of  detection  and  analytical 
capabilities based on specific knowledge of local information environments. Therefore, there 
is a need to develop multidisciplinary communities of fact-checkers and academic researchers 
at national level, which will require the active cooperation of Member States. 

2.1.3. Fostering online accountability 

With  a  view  to  increasing  trust  and  accountability  online,  the  Commission  committed  to 
promote  the  use  of  voluntary  online  systems  allowing  the  identification  of  suppliers  of 
information based on trustworthy electronic identification and authentication means.  

To  this  end,  the  Commission  has  mobilised  the  Cooperation  Network  set  up  under  the 
electronic  Identification  and  Authentication  Service  Regulation  (eIDAS)  and  launched 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
discussions on how to achieve progress in this area at the 10th Cooperation Network meeting 
on 11 July 2018.  

The  Commission  has  also  engaged  with  the  Horizon  2020  project  Co-inform,  whose 
objective is to create a user-friendly technological tool, using the co-creation methodology, to 
make  sure  that  policymakers,  fact-checkers  and  citizens  are  involved  in  improving  the 
efficiency of disinformation-detection technology. The project involves academic researchers, 
technology companies and fact-checkers from different Member States. It should explore the 
use  of  trustworthy  identification  and  authentication  means,  aligned  with  the  eIDAS 
Regulation,  for  the  identification  of  suppliers  of  information,  with  the  aim  to  pilot  this 
approach in their tools.  

The  project  should  support  the  Cooperation  Network  in  its  endeavour  to  promote  the 
voluntary  adoption  of  the  eIDAS  tools  and  services  for  the  secure  identification  and 
authentication of suppliers of information (websites, natural and legal entities). 

The dialogue between the Commission and Member States in 2018 raised awareness on how 
eIDAS  tools  and  services  could  be  relied  upon  to  tackle  disinformation  by  increasing 
accountability  and  encouraging  more  responsible  behaviour  online.  The  Commission  will 
continue  working  with  the  Cooperation  Network  and  platform  providers  on  fostering  the 
development  and  the  voluntary  use  of  systems  for  the  secure  identification  of  suppliers  of 
information based on the highest security and privacy standards, including the possible use of 
verified pseudonyms. 

2.1.4. Harnessing new technologies 

The Commission committed to make full use of the Horizon 2020 framework programme to 
mobilise new technologies and to  explore the possibility of  additional support for tools that 
combat disinformation, accelerating time-to-market of high-impact innovation activities, and 
encouraging the partnering of researchers and businesses. 

In 2013 the Commission started financing the first research and innovation actions focused on 
the development of new technologies to help assessing the veracity of content posted online. 
Projects  like  SocialSensor  and  Reveal  have  been  pioneers  in  this  field  and  have  devolved 
tools now used by large news organisation and non-governmental organisations.  

Currently, under the European Research Council (ERC) and Horizon 2020, there are several 
actions  aimed  at  improving  the  understanding  of  online  disinformation  and  developing  new 
tools for content verification. The ERC projects Comprop and the Botfind are studying how 
automated systems for spreading and targeting propaganda impact public discourse in Europe. 
The  ERC  project  Debunker  is  studying,  from  a  theoretical  point  of  view,  the  problem  of 
misperceptions around societal issues within the European population and possible strategies 
to reduce their impact. 

The  Horizon  2020  project  Invid  focuses  on  developing  tools  to  verify  audiovisual  content. 
These tools are essential considering that technologies to tamper with video and create “deep 
fakes”  are  increasingly  easy  to  access  and  use.  Another  Horizon  2020  project,  Fandango, 
looks at solutions that help traditional media to better detect false narratives online. 

Since  information  technology  and  the  phenomenon  of  online  disinformation  are  evolving 
rapidly, the Commission has decided to step up efforts. It has selected four new research and 
innovation  actions,  for  about  10  MEUR  of  Union  contribution.  The  selected  actions  are: 
Eunomia  (open  source  solution  to  identify  sources  of  information),  SocialTruth  (distributed 
ecosystem that allows easy access to various verification services), Provenance (intermediary-

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
free  solution  for  digital  content  verification)  and  WeVerify  (content  verification  challenges 
through a participatory verification approach). These new projects aim at developing services 
for communities active in fighting online disinformation.  

Furthermore, in the proposal for Horizon Europe programme9, the Commission has proposed 
to dedicate efforts to: 

  safeguard democratic and economic stability though the development of new tools to 

combat online disinformation; 

  better  understand  the  role  of  journalistic  standards  and  user-generated  content  in  a 

hyper-connected society; and  

  support  next  generation  Internet  application  and  services  including  immersive  and 

trustworthy media, social media and social networking. 

2.2  Secure and resilient election processes 

The second set of actions addresses manipulation and disinformation tactics employed during 
electoral  processes.  In  order  to  enable  secure  and  resilient  election  processes,  the 
Communication  proposed  to  initiate  a  continuous  dialogue  to  support  Member  States  in  the 
management of risks to democratic electoral process from cyber-attacks and disinformation, 
particularly in view of European elections in 2019. 

To  this  end,  the  Commission  started  in  2018  a  constructive  dialogue  with  Member  States. 
This  included  a  first  exchange  at  the  conference  on  electoral  best  practices  held  on  25-26 
April  2018,  which  also  involved  representatives  of  the  Networks  and  Information  Security 
(NIS) Cooperation Group and electoral committees. 

Based  on  the  contributions  of  authorities  responsible  for  the  implementation  of  the  NIS 
Directive10 and the support provided by Commission and European Network and Information 
Security  Agency  (ENISA),  the  NIS  Cooperation  Group  delivered  a  Compendium  on  cyber 
security of election technology11 in July 2018. The Compendium is a practical document that 
looks  at  specific  threats  and  provides  useful  examples  to  electoral  committees  on  how  to 
manage the risks posed to the cybersecurity of elections.  

The High-level  conference  "Election  Interference in  the Digital  Age:  Building Resilience to 
Cyber-Enabled  Threats"12  took  place  on  15-16  October  2018  in  Brussels.  The  Conference 
allowed participants to acquire a better understanding of the issues related to cybersecurity of 
elections and enabled NIS competent authorities and electoral committees to discuss possible 
next steps for the implementation of relevant security measures regarding the next European 
elections.  

The Commission convened a range of stakeholders to discuss democracy in Europe, including 
resilient  electoral  process  and  open  democratic  debate,  at  its  annual  Colloquium  on 
fundamental  rights,  held  on  26-27  November  in  Brussels.  Several  hundred  stakeholders 
attended,  including  national  and  European  policymakers,  international  organisations,  civil 
society  organisations,  media  and  social  media  representatives,  the  world  of  business  and 

9   COM(2018) 435. 
10   Directive  (EU)  2016/1148  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  6  July  2016  concerning 
measures for a high common level of security of network and information systems across the Union. 
11   CG  Publication  03/2018  -  Compendium  on  cyber  security  of  election  technology.  Available  here: 

http://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=53645.  

12   https://ec.europa.eu/epsc/events/election-interference-digital-age-building-resilience-cyber-enabled-

threats_en.  

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
education,  and  identified  new  avenues  to  foster  free,  open  and  healthy  democratic 
participation.  

The Commission will follow up on the conclusions of the colloquium13, including through the 
work of the national and European election cooperation networks, currently being established 
in  the  framework  of  the  Commission’s  election  package  of  September  201814.  The  national 
election  networks  will  bring  together  authorities  with  responsibility  for  elections  with  other 
authorities including media regulators, and data protection and cyber security authorities. The 
European  cooperation  network  will  support  the  exchange  of  information  and  best  practices 
among Member States and Union bodies, and will meet for the first time in January 2019. 

Commission activities during 2018 have consolidated the dialogue between the Commission 
and  Member  States,  raising  awareness  and  strengthening  capacities  to  manage  risks  to 
democratic electoral process presented by cyber-attacks and disinformation.  

2.3  Fostering education and media literacy 

The  third  set  of  actions  focus  on  fostering  education  and  media  literacy.  The  life-long 
development  of  critical  and  digital  competences  is  crucial  to  reinforce  the  resilience  of  our 
societies to disinformation. The Communication proposed new actions to this end, including: 
supporting  the  provision  of  educational  materials  by  independent  fact-checkers  and  civil 
society  organisations  to  schools  and  educators;  organising  a  European  Week  of  Media 
Literacy; exploring the possibility of adding media literacy to the criteria used by the OECD 
in  its  comparative  reports  on  international  student  assessment;  and  further  encouraging  the 
implementation of ongoing initiatives on digital skills, education and traineeship.  

Following  the  adoption  of  the  Communication,  signatories  to  the  Code  of  Practice  on 
Disinformation  have  committed  to  collaborate  with  civil  society,  governments,  educational 
institutions, and other stakeholders to support efforts aimed at improving critical thinking and 
digital  media  literacy,  including  training  actions  and  the  provision  of  tools  to  help  users 
identify disinformation. 

In June 2018, the Commission discussed with national authorities and stakeholders within the 
Media  Literacy  Expert  Group, possible options  for the organisation of  a European Week of 
Media Literacy (EUMLW) in 2019 to raise awareness around disinformation. The EUMLW 
should combine events and initiatives at Union level with events taking place at national level 
(workshops, open door sessions in newsrooms and practical training courses on social media 
use) to benefit from a multiplying effect. It should also seek the involvement of stakeholders 
belonging to the ‘Safer Internet’ and ‘Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition’ communities in order 
to  ensure  synergies  with  these  initiatives.  The  week  should  have  an  important  focus  on  the 
challenge to counter disinformation in view of the upcoming 2019 European elections. 

The Commission co-funded Safer Internet Centres in Member States to act as multipliers of 
the  #SaferInternet4EU  Campaign,  which  aims  at  raising  awareness  about  media  literacy, 
informing  parents  and  professionals  of  the  opportunities  and  risks  online  and  promoting  a 

13   Follow up will focus on actions around which a consensus emerged, which could include, for example, an 
evaluation of the sufficiency in the online context of existing national rules on the transparency of political 
advertising. 
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/soteu2018-cybersecurity-elections-
recommendation-5949_en.pdf.  

14  

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
positive  use  of  media  among  children  and  young  people.  In  particular,  this  campaign 
contributes to empower online users to recognise possible bias, spin or misinformation15. 

Moreover,  the  forthcoming  revised  AVMSD,  already  approved  by  the  Council,  on  6 
November 2018 recognises the importance of media literacy and introduces a legal obligation 
for  Member  States  to  “promote  and  take  measures  for  the  development  of  media  literacy 
skills” (Article 33a). In addition, in view of the central role played by video-sharing platforms 
in  giving  access  to  audiovisual  content  and  the  resulting  societal  responsibility,  the  revised 
AVMSD obliges them to provide “for effective media literacy measures and tools and rais[e] 
users’ awareness of these measures and tools” (Article 28b(3)(j)). These provisions introduce 
rules  for  Member  States  and  video-sharing  platforms  on  media  literacy,  and  establish  a  co-
regulatory system with reinforced cooperation between industry, civil society, Member States 
and regulators. 

Under  that  Directive,  Member  States  will  have  to  report  to  the  Commission  on  the 
implementation  of  their  media  literacy  plans.  The  Commission,  in  consultation  with  the 
Contact Committee, will issue guidelines on the scope of this reporting obligation.  

National  audio-visual  regulatory  authorities  have  also  carried  out  work  within  ERGA  (the 
Commission expert group of audio-visual regulators) on media plurality, covering issues such 
as  balanced  and  impartial  media  coverage  during  elections,  opinion  polls  and  political 
campaigns.  

In  addition,  the  Commission  continued  its  discussion  in  2018  with  the  OECD  on  the 
possibility of adding media literacy to the criteria used by the organisation in its comparative 
reports, focusing on the forthcoming questionnaire for the Programme of international student 
assessment (PISA) 2021. To this end, the OECD was open to the Commission’s suggestion to 
cover online disinformation and fake news as part of the ICT familiarity questionnaire, which 
should  feed  into  the  review  of  the  PISA  assessment  criteria.  The  OECD  is  currently  in  the 
process of refining the questionnaire with draft questions that should be tested in 2019.  

With  regards  to  digital  skills,  23  National  Coalitions,  which  have  been  created  since  the 
launch of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition in December 2016, offered a large number of 
activities  such  as  training  on-line  and  face  to  face,  awareness  raising  campaigns  and 
certifications for Europeans to improve their digital skills. 

In  October  2018,  the  Governing  Board  of  the  Digital  Skills  and  Jobs  Coalition,  set  up  in 
September 2017, presented its priorities for the coming months which include promoting and 
leveraging existing tools to support the acquisition of digital skills for all and expanding EU 
Code Week16 to reach at least 50% of all schools in the Union by 2020. 

2.4.  Support for quality journalism as an essential element of a democratic 

society 

The  fourth  set  of  actions  aims  to  support  quality  journalism  as  an  essential  element  of  a 
journalism  can  uncover  and  dilute 
democratic  society.  Quality  news  media  and 
disinformation, providing citizens high-quality and diverse information. The Communication 
proposed to enhance the transparency and predictability of State aid rules for the media sector 

15  Regular updates, resources, and list of safer internet events in Member States can be found on the portal: 

www.betterinternetforkids.eu. 

16   EU Code Week is a grassroots initiative, which aims to bring coding and digital literacy to everybody in a 

fun and engaging way. https://codeweek.eu/.  

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by making available an online repository of decisions. The Communication also proposed to 
launch a call in 2018 for the production and dissemination of quality news content on Union 
affairs  through  data-driven  news  media  and  to  explore  increased  funding  opportunities  to 
support  initiatives  promoting  media  freedom  and  pluralism,  and  modernisation  of  news 
rooms.  

Following  the  Communication,  the  Commission  made  available  an  online  repository  on  the 
applicable  State  aid  rules  and  relevant  precedent  cases  on  its  website17.  It  references 
applicable  State  aid  rules  and  relevant  Commission  decisions  on  State  aid  to  public  service 
broadcasting and State aid to the press, and provides links to relevant commentary from the 
Commission's  Competition  Policy  Newsletter.  Updated  information  on  aid  granted  by 
Member States in these domains is accessible on the transparency register18. 

Furthermore, on 26 June 2018, the Commission launched a call, of about EUR 1.9 million, for 
the  production  and  dissemination  of  quality  news  content  on  Union  affairs  through  data-
driven  news  media.  The  call  closed  on  25  September,  having  resulted  in  four  project 
proposals. Evaluation of the proposals is ongoing, and it is envisioned that projects awarded 
grants will start in the first quarter of 2019. 

In addition to the R&D projects presented in section 2.1.4, the 2020 work programme under 
Horizon  2020  will  cater  for  additional  investments  in  innovation  projects  with  a  view  to 
selecting,  launching  and  incubating  ideas  for  innovative  services  and  tools  fostering  the 
modernisation of newsrooms. 

To  stabilise  actions  in  favour  of  quality  journalism,  media  freedom,  media  pluralism  and 
media  literacy,  the  Commission  is  proposing  a  dedicated  budget  in  the  next  Multiannual 
Financial Framework (2021-2027, Creative Europe, Cross sectorial strand). This should allow 
addressing the structural changes faced by the media sector by promoting  and monitoring a 
diverse and pluralistic media environment. 

About the promotion of media freedom, quality news media and journalism, the Commission 
co-funded the activities of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)19. In 
2018, the main task of ECPMF was to support investigative journalists, via the allocation of 
grants for investigative cross-border journalistic work. In June 2018, an independent jury has 
selected  12  investigative  journalism  projects  for  funding  under  the  inaugural  round  of  the 
IJ4EU fund. 

Moreover, pursuant to funding by the European Parliament, three calls for pilot projects are 
being launched to support projects in the following areas: 
  An exchange programme for media practitioners; 
  An internship programme for journalists working in minority language media; 
  A project to map and support Media Councils. 

17   http://ec.europa.eu/competition/sectors/media/overview_en.html#disinformation.  
18   https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/competition/transparency/public/search/home?lang=en.  
19   Based in Leipzig, the ECPMF's main aim is to unite Europe’s fragmented media freedom community and 
to address media freedom violations in EU Member States and beyond. The Centre provides practical help 
to journalists in need and works with partners to raise awareness on media freedom issues in the EU and 
Candidate Countries. Partners of the ECPMF are supporting and monitoring media freedom in the EU and 
Candidate Countries. 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Finally,  the  Fundamental  Rights  Agency  continued  its  development  work  on  a  toolkit  for 
media professionals, which is a web-based capacity building platform with content developed 
by private media stakeholders to support journalists in producing quality news.  

2.5  Countering  internal  and  external  disinformation  threats  through 

strategic communication 

In  line  with  the  April  communication,  the  European  Commission  worked  to  ensure  the 
internal coordination of its communication activities aiming at tackling disinformation. In this 
context, it created an internal Network against Disinformation the primary purpose of which 
is to enable its services to better detect harmful narratives, support a culture of fact-checking, 
provide fast responses and strengthen more effective positive messaging20. The Commission 
reinforced cooperation with the European Parliament and East Strategic Communication Task 
Force through a tripartite forum that aims to operationalise the institutions’ respective efforts 
in countering disinformation ahead of the 2019 European elections.  

3.  SUMMARY  

Overall,  the  actions  outlined  in  the  Communication  have  been  accomplished  or  launched 
during 2018. Online platforms and the advertising industry have agreed on a Code of Practice 
to increase online transparency and protect consumers, with a particular view to the European 
elections in 2019. A network of fact checkers is being created that will strengthen capabilities 
to detect and debunk false narratives. The Commission will facilitate their work by providing 
the necessary infrastructure without interfering in their tasks. Stakeholders should be able to 
benefit from a number of research and innovation tools to identify and tackle disinformation, 
while consumers should benefit from better online accountability of suppliers of information. 
Awareness  has  increased  across  Member  States  about  the  need  to  protect  democratic 
processes  from  cyber  threats.  This  goes  hand  in  hand  with  sustained  efforts,  at  EU  and 
national level, to raise the level of media literacy and empower users, especially the younger 
generations,  and  improve  critical  thinking.  Support  to  quality  journalism  should  also 
contribute  to  dilute  disinformation  and  provide  citizens  with  high  quality  and  diverse 
information. 

The Commission will closely monitor the implementation of ongoing actions addressed in this 
Report,  in  particular  the  Code  of  Practice  on  Disinformation,  and  continue  to  evaluate 
whether further actions, including measures of regulatory nature, are necessary.  

20   This network includes also the Commission representations in the Member States. 

12