EU clarifies withdrawal from Lithuania disinformation conference was agenda‑driven, not U.S. pressure

The European Union has denied that pressure from the United States prompted it to withdraw its logo from a major conference on disinformation in Lithuania, insisting that the decision was instead linked to the way organisers had drawn up the programme.

Issued on: 09/10/2026 – 13:53

The EU’s diplomatic service, the European External Action Service (EEAS), had been a sponsor of Disinfo2026, an independent Brussels non‑profit’s gathering that opened in Vilnius on Wednesday. The event brings together researchers, journalists and experts focused on foreign interference and online manipulation.

Shortly before the conference began, the EEAS logo was removed from promotional material, together with those of Canada and Lithuania. The removals sparked speculation that the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration had pressed allies to distance themselves from the event.

“The decision was taken in view of the programme,” EEAS spokesperson Christian Wigand told reporters in Brussels on Thursday.

When repeatedly asked whether Washington had applied pressure, Wigand said the logo was removed “because of the way the organisers had designed the programme”.

“That is the reason,” he added, declining to provide further detail.

U.S. as a disinformation risk

Debate has centred on a session that examined whether the United States itself could constitute a threat to Europe in terms of disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference, known as FIMI.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday that U.S. officials had approached several governments about their support for the event, objecting in particular to a panel titled “USA as an FIMI threat: adapt, acknowledge, push back”.

Wigand declined to confirm any contacts with U.S. officials, stating that he did not comment on diplomatic exchanges. He said only that organisers had presented some discussions “in a way that does not correspond to the EU’s official positions”.

The Trump administration has argued that initiatives aimed at combating disinformation can amount to censorship or restrictions on freedom of expression.

Canada also reviewed its participation in several panels, including one it was set to chair on disinformation in the Arctic, citing “changes made to the content”.

Ottawa nevertheless dispatched three representatives to Vilnius, emphasizing that its decisions were guided by Canadian interests and priorities.

France, by contrast, retained its name and logo on the event.

French officials told AFP that support for the conference had been secured months earlier and that there was “no reason to change” that commitment. Paris denied facing any “pressure or threats” and stressed that the organisers kept full control over the programme.

France on the disinformation front line

Paris confronts an intensifying challenge from foreign information manipulation, especially from Russian‑linked networks.

The EEAS’s most recent annual threat assessment, released in March, ranked France as the second most targeted country worldwide for documented FIMI incidents in 2025—behind only Ukraine.

In the EU diplomatic service’s tally, 112 incidents targeted Ukraine, 107 involved France, followed by Moldova with 94 and Germany with 71.

Russia was identified as the primary state actor in the broader European information threat landscape.

French authorities have repeatedly warned that Russian‑connected groups seek to exploit political and social divisions, erode confidence in public institutions, and weaken support for Ukraine.

Tactics include networks of fake news websites, fabricated social‑media accounts, manipulated videos, and deepfakes. French political figures and the electoral system have increasingly become targets ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

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