Dismantling the Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) house of cards

Today’s wars are not only fought with tanks and drones but with lies and algorithms too. The information space is a frontline in the fight for democracy. The greatest threats are state-sponsored operations that seek to confuse and manipulate citizens in order to shape our views, political choices and ultimately the way we vote.

EU High Representative / Vice President Kaja Kallas

For the fourth consecutive year, the EEAS holds its annual Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) Conference, with a focus this year on dismantling the FIMI house of cards. 

The FIMI conference is also the occasion of the publication of the 4th report on FIMI Threats, which embodies the EU’s enhanced strategy to counter the core of FIMI operations, by targeting vulnerabilities in the supply chain. The report will be published on 17 March.

The conference will gather experts and practitioners from governments, civil society, academia and the private sector, to share hands-on experiences of responding to FIMI threats. 

EU partners across governments, but also across domains of action, are fully involved and will be present at the conference: EU Member States and Institutions, G7, NATO, Europol, Ukraine, our partners from the Neighbourhood, Security and Defence Partnerships countries, and like-minded partners. 

Together, we are building a strong, multi-domain framework to deter and disrupt FIMI threat actors at the very core of their operations.

Download the agenda for the 2026 Counter FIMI Conference 

FIMI explorer

The FIMI Explorer is the first publicly-available, interactive dashboard on information manipulation activities. While similar products have been seen in other fields, such as cyber, the FIMI Explorer has a unique focus on the information domain and dissecting the FIMI threat through multiple angles.

As a public resource, the FIMI Explorer it boldly exposes FIMI networks and key players in this domain, as well as serving as an additional resource for the FIMI defender community. It demonstrates different ways to explore FIMI threats, and by doing to makes a significant contribution to existing analysis carried out in this area.

The dashboard reflects the findings of the 4th EEAS Report on FIMI Threats, but is also intended to be a long-lasting resource, with regular updates on changes in the information space. It allows its users to navigate the key networks that are used in FIMI attacks, showing the connections between those actively involved in information manipulation activities, and how they are leveraged in different interconnected networks. Furthermore, the FIMI Explorer demonstrates that such attacks occur not in a sole, isolated manner, but are a part of a complicated galaxy of hostile information activities. The FIMI Explorer will be available online from 17 March.

EEAS annual reporting on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) threats

Since 2023 the EEAS has issued annual reports aimed at detailing its approach to analysing and countering FIMI. Each report builds on the insights and tools introduced in previous editions, progressively enhancing the EU’s capacity to address the evolving landscape of FIMI threats. These reports focus on distinct, interconnected aspects of the fight against FIMI:

How to analyse? 

The 1st report on FIMI Threats introduced the FIMI Methodology, a groundbreaking analytical framework that established a standardised approach for investigating FIMI activities based on open-source analysis.

How to counter? 

The 2nd report on FIMI Threats put forward a Response Framework to FIMI threats, detailing strategies for coordinated responses among the EU and its partners, including against FIMI campaigns targeting democratic processes like elections.

How to expose and attribute operations? 

The 3rd report on FIMI Threats presents the FIMI Exposure Matrix, an instrument to reveal the connections between digital channels used in FIMI activities and the underlying infrastructure of threat actors. 

How to deter FIMI actors?

The 4th report on FIMI Threats builds on the methodology of the Response Framework and on the FIMI Toolbox, FIMI Deterrence Playbook as a framework to make FIMI activity more costly and less sustainable for perpetrators.