London FIMI Forum 2025: Rethinking the responses to FIMI in an evolving global environment

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) is an increasingly serious challenge to democratic societies. As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underlined in her 2025 State of the Union address: “The rise in information manipulation and disinformation is dividing our societies. It is not only eroding trust in the truth – but also in democracy itself”.

This year’s FIMI Forum edition will examine threat actors, their evolving techniques, and the latest tools being deployed. Discussions will explore new trends in FIMI practices, the intensity and targets of such attacks, and the adaptive strategies needed to counter them. Experts from across Europe and beyond will share insights on how to strengthen resilience and coordination.

EU Ambassador to the UK Pedro Serrano will open the forum. The EEAS Managing Director for Global Issues and Communication, Olivier Bailly, will welcome the participants.

Speakers

We are pleased to welcome a distinguished line-up of speakers, including:

• Filip Grzegorzewski, European External Action Service (EEAS) – presenting the latest insight from the EEAS annual threat report and updates about strengthening situational awareness and building resilience within the EU, the neighbourhood and beyond.
• David Salvo, the German Marshall Fund and Carl Miller, Demos – offering a deep-dive into strategies for disrupting FIMI and exploring the next frontier in this field.
• Phil Howard, Co-founder of the International Panel on the Information Environment – outlining his vision for an independent panel on the integrity of the information space.
• Sofia Hnizdovska, OpenMinds (Ukraine) – offering first-hand experience of technology-based solutions to counter FIMI.
• Chris Morris, Director of Full Fact, and Sinéad O’Brian, BBC – explaining how their respective organisations deploy Artificial Intelligence to combat disinformation.
• Ben Warner, Electric Twins – providing expertise in modelling electoral behaviour.
• Ana Revenco, Centre for Strategic Communications and Countering Disinformation (Moldova), and Artur Papyan, CyberHUB Threat Lab (Armenia) – delivering regional perspectives on the latest developments in tackling foreign interference.

The London FIMI Forum aims to foster dialogue and coordination between the EU, the UK, and other international partners. By bringing together policymakers, researchers, media experts, civil society actors, and technology specialists, the forum will explore practical tools to address the threat of FIMI and identify opportunities for new partnerships.