site.btaForeign Ministry Establishes Temporary Mechanism to Counter Disinformation Ahead of Snap Elections

Caretaker Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynsky has ordered the establishment of a temporary coordination mechanism within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to counter disinformation and combat hybrid threats ahead of the April 19 early parliamentary elections, the Ministry said on Monday.

The mechanism is operational from March 23 and is aimed at maintaining information resilience amid an expected increase in disinformation campaigns and attempts to manipulate foreign policy-related information. The structure will be headed by Ambassador-at-Large for Resilience Building Maria Spassova, while oversight of its activities will be exercised by Deputy Foreign Minister Velizar Shalamanov.

The new mechanism will provide a timely, structured and integrated institutional communication response to hybrid threats, attempts at external interference and information manipulation. It will operate as an internal working group, bringing together and synchronizing the efforts of the various departments within the Foreign Ministry.

Among the group's main tasks are the centralized monitoring and analysis of information related to disinformation and external interference, as well as the preparation of risk assessments and analytical reports for the Ministry's leadership, including in connection with the organization of voting abroad. It will also coordinate the institutional communication response, plan and implement strategic communications, and engage with international partners and EU and NATO structures. Cooperation with civil society organizations and representatives of the academic community is also envisaged as part of its activities.

Earlier in the day, the government reported an increase in both the number of alerts received and pretrial proceedings organized in the context of the elections.