New Delhi to Host Roundtable to Discuss EU-India Cooperation in Combating Online Disinformation

New Delhi will host a roundtable to discuss EU-India cooperation in combatting online disinformation and information manipulation on the sidelines of the Raisina dialogue.

New Delhi: Over 35 experts from the European Union (EU) and India will join forces in New Delhi on February 21 to unpack the security and policy aspects of online disinformation and information manipulation while identifying possible areas of EU-India collaboration, the delegation of EU in New Delhi said. Taking place on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue 2024, the EU-India track 1.5 event “Combatting disinformation online: EU and Indian perspectives” is the 4th round-table co-organised by the EU-funded project Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia (ESIWA) and the Indian Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the EU Delegation to India.

According to sources, the peer-to-peer discussion will explore trends in the use of disinformation online and encourage EU and Indian governmental and non-governmental actors to compare notes and share best practices for countering disinformation. In line with the #TeamEurope approach, the high-level meeting will feature speakers from across the EU such as the European External Action Service, the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Embassy in New Delhi, and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From the Indian side, representatives from agencies such as the Indian Prime Minister’s Office for Information Security, India’s National Cyber Coordination Centre and the National Security Council Secretariat of India will participate. Sources said that experts will deliberate foreign policy responses to disinformation in both regions, highlight developments in the EU’s and India’s work to disrupt malicious actors and reflect on the role of civil society in addressing online disinformation and building resilience.

“In the physical world, Europe might seem far away from Asia, but in cyberspace, we live together, sometimes in a complex, dangerous cyber neighbourhood where our societies depend on resilient trustworthy digital services and where we can all become victims to malicious cyber-attacks. We need to combat such challenges with mutual defence and strong, trusted cooperation,” said Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to India Seppo Nurmi today, who will deliver the welcome remarks at the roundtable.

“Participants from both regions will provide insights into their respective approaches to curbing disinformation with a special focus on safeguarding free speech and privacy. The track 1.5 dialogue will reflect on the EU’s and India’s foreign policy responses to online disinformation while identifying opportunities for EU-India cooperation,” Nurmi added.

The EU and India have on multiple occasions reaffirmed their commitment to an open, free, secure, stable, peaceful, and accessible cyberspace that enables economic growth and innovation. To promote further cooperation, ESIWA and ORF have jointly hosted a series of track 1.5 dialogues between the EU and India in the format of high-level meetings, sources said.

Notably, the first three meetings were organised in April 2022, October 2022 and March 2023 in New Delhi on the sidelines of the CyFy and Raisina dialogues. The conclusions of the meetings feed into the formal EU–India Cybersecurity Dialogues, progressing the discussion on evolving security challenges and building connections between two global security actors.

“Online disinformation and information manipulation is a growing political and security challenge. Given the negative impact it can have on two of the world’s largest democracies, this ESIWA-ORF roundtable comes at an opportune moment to build on EU-India collaboration in cyber security,” said Mindaugas Lasas, Head of Sector - Hybrid Threats at the European External Action Service, one of the speakers at the event.

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