News

On 7 June, Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius welcomed the participants of the informal meeting of the Club of Venice uniting top-level public relations officials and communications experts of the European Union Member States and institutions, which started in Vilnius.

“It is important to cooperate and unite our powers in the fight against propaganda and fake news. This is not the restriction of freedom of speech, but a fight, first of all, with lies. Lies cannot be considered to be an alternative approach. When speaking about strategic communication, we do not talk about censorship, but instead we talk about communication that is assertive, accountable and based on alternative sources of information,” the Minister said in his opening speech. 

High-ranking communications officers and experts are taking part and give speeches in the event, including Jaume Duch Guillot, the European Parliament spokesperson, Mike Hanley, the Head of Digital Communication at the World Economic Forum, Silvio Gonzato, the Director General of the European External Action Service, Alex Aiken, the Executive Officer of the Government Communication Office of the United Kingdom, Chris Riley, the Head of NATO Strategic Communication, and other communication directors from EU Member States.

The participants of the Club of Venice meeting in Vilnius will discuss how to strengthen resilience to disinformation and propaganda, especially in the run-up to the 2019 European Parliament elections, how to promote public confidence in the authorities, and will discuss the challenges faced while strengthening the communication capacities in state institutions. It is expected to ratify documents promoting the resilience of the countries and their societies to disinformation in digital spaces during the event.

The Club of Venice is an informal group of EU high-level communications officers, founded in 1986, discussing the most relevant issues and challenges, sharing experiences and best practice in communication in its annual meetings.