The analysis Geopolitical Perspective of Disinformation Flows in the Western Balkans 2023–2024 offers a comprehensive and nuanced overview of the region’s evolving position amid intensified global competition, hybrid threats, and shifting alliances. This annual publication continues the effort to monitor and interpret strategic developments affecting the region, implemented through the project Western Balkans AntiDisinformation Hub: Exposing Malign Influences through Watchdog Journalism, with a particular focus on the intersection of information security, geopolitical alignment, and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Addressing the growing need to build societal resilience to information threats, the 2023–2024 edition examines how regional actors navigate the pressures of renewed great-power rivalry, including the hybrid influence of Russia and China on regional politics, as well as the enduring strategic engagement of the European Union, NATO, and their member countries. It maps key vectors of external influence—political, economic, religious, and informational—highlighting how disinformation and propaganda shape public perception, media discourse, and institutional resilience.
This report draws upon the accumulated knowledge and experience of the regional network of antidisinformation practitioners supported by the project. Its analytical framework integrates insights from regional experts and international researchers, providing a balanced and policy-relevant perspective. By situating local dynamics within the broader European and global context, it underscores both the vulnerabilities and the adaptive capacities of Western Balkan societies.
The findings reaffirm the region’s continued commitment to the Euro-Atlantic path while drawing attention to systemic challenges—disinformation, democratic backsliding, and corruption—that must be addressed to ensure sustainable integration. The report outlines a range of methods and tools, from fact-checking and media literacy to the improvement of policy and legal frameworks, which Western Balkan actors should continue to strengthen in order to safeguard democratic institutions and societal cohesion from malign disinformation. In both practical and normative terms, such efforts advance the region along its merit-based path toward integration within the European Union. By advocating systemic, whole-of-society solutions, the analysis contributes to the ongoing dialogue on resilience, security, and democratic consolidation in Southeast Europe
