News

On 10 September in Warsaw, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Andrius Krivas took part in the conference “Free and Objective Media in Eastern Partnership and Beyond”, which discussed the threat of Russian propaganda, better coordination to support Russian-language media plurality in the Eastern Partnership countries and beyond.

The participants of the conference highlighted the need to promote independent and objective media in the Eastern Partnership countries. Krivas emphasized that the pressure put by the Kremlin’s propaganda required democratic countries to join their efforts, capacities and resources to ensure Russian-language media plurality.

When speaking about Lithuania’s practical contribution, the Vice-Minister noted that Lithuania could contribute to a “content factory” that would facilitate production.

The conference was convened jointly by Poland, the Netherlands and the European Endowment for Democracy (EED). The majority of European countries, including Lithuania, are involved in the EED’s activities. The conference followed the EED’s presentation of its feasibility study on Russian Language Media Initiatives in the Eastern Partnership countries and beyond in 2015. The study proposed “building blocks” to strengthen Russian-language media in the region: the “content factory”, a centre for media excellence that coordinates specialised professional training, a basket fund ensuring appropriate funding.

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