Spend but a few hours in the EU capital today, and you\u2019ll inevitably hear how \u201cdisinformation\u201d is one of the gravest threats to Europe today. The EU\u2019s Digital Services Act (DSA) has been created to counter it. The EU\u2019s new Democracy Shield claims it will protect democracy from it. One might be tempted to agree. False information can lead to bad outcomes. But before giving the EU the power to regulate what is \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d information, what is \u00ab\u00a0true\u00a0\u00bb or \u00ab\u00a0false\u00a0\u00bb, it is imperative that all Europeans know what Brussels means by \u201cdisinformation\u201d? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And here is where things quickly take a sinister turn. A recent publication by the European Commission analysing a communication campaign it ran to convince Bulgarians of the benefits of adopting the Euro currency offers some worrying insights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report finds that information authorised by the European Commission was having a positive effect on public perceptions of the euro. It however accuses those campaigning against Bulgaria\u2019s adoption of the common currency of running a \u201cdisinformation campaign\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A damning accusation. Yet another example of the righteous European project facing off against the duplicitous forces of darkness? Well, what were these falsehoods being shared on an unsuspecting Bulgarian population? That a swarm of locusts would block out the sun if you stopped using Bulgaria\u2019s Lev currency? That dragons would burn villages where euro notes were introduced? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, no. Nothing of the sort, in fact. The \u201cdisinformation\u201d cited in the Commission analysis was that the introduction of the euro would, wait for it, cause price inflation. Price inflation. That\u2019s it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The relevant section from the Commission report: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0While this joint effort [to promote euro adoption] seems to produce positive results […] some stakeholders regretted the late start of the official communication campaign (July 2025), pointing out that opponents to the euro had started their disinformation campaign well before. This disinformation campaign, mostly on social media, was judged well-funded and organised, with most narratives centred on the claim that the euro will strongly increase prices. It seems to be touching a chord as inflation is on the rise and nearly three-quarters of Bulgarians expect prices to rise with the euro. To counter this disinformation campaign, some stakeholders saw the need for an extra communication effort on social media.\u00a0\u00bb [Source: Ares(2025)9929737] <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It appears we now live in a Union where making an assertion supported by academic research and historical data which proves that joining the euro causes inflation can be smeared as \u201cdisinformation\u201d by our political elite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is disturbing that the European Commission attack legitimate and informed political arguments during an important public debate in this way. It is doubly so when one considers the legal, military and intelligence tools the EU has armed itself with to counter what it perceives or labels as \u201cdisinformation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EU\u2019s DSA and Democracy Shield are two such legislative weapons that pose a grave threat to freedom of expression and democracy in Europe. By claiming to protect us from \u201cdisinformation\u201d, they have granted EU authorities the power to silence dissenting voices and to ban election candidates. These dangerous authoritarian policies must be withdrawn. This is what we are striving for with allies from across Europe and the United States. The future of European freedom and democracy are at stake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n