site.btaInnovation Minister Calls for Coordinated National Effort to Fight Disinformation

The caretaker Minister of Innovation and Growth, Irena Mladenova, insists that the fight against disinformation requires coordinated efforts between the technology sector, the scientific community and the state. These stakeholders are pieces of a puzzle which should be connected "so that society can make informed decisions and be less vulnerable to external influences with unclear aims," Mladenova said on Monday, speaking during the final event of DisInfoHack 2026 at the GATE Institute at Sofia University.

Mladenova stressed that initiatives such as DisInfoHack matter not only because of their final results, but also because of the long-term work behind them. In her words, the initiative creates a basis for real solutions and visible results in countering disinformation.

According to the Minister, the format of DisInfoHack, which includes working with mentors and a prolonged process of developing ideas, contributes to building sustainable skills. She expressed hope that participants have developed the ability to assess what is reliable and what is not in the flow of information.

Mladenova emphasized that one of the main goals of the initiative is creating a network and expanding the reach of the knowledge acquired. She called on participants to share what they have learned with their colleagues and friends so that the effect of the project can reach more people.

DisInfoHack is an initiative within a three-year project called Countering Disinformation Environment (Ecosystem) in Bulgaria (CoDE), aimed at developing information resilience through a scientific approach. Its goal is to study and analyze the information environment in Bulgaria and to summarize good practices and tools for effective counteraction to disinformation.