Project Countering False Information in Kosovo: Experience-sharing between V4 and Prishtina

Project “Countering False Information in Kosovo: Experience-Sharing between V4 and Prishtina” seeks to bring together
experts on combating false information from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Kosovo to share their experience and, most importantly, to help Kosovo experts enhance their knowledge regarding the necessary measures and tools to be implemented to protect the country from false information that could seriously harm Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic Path and aspirations. What is more,
the project will train and educate university students to recognize and combat false information and, consequently, increase
Kosovo's society's ability to tackle and prevent false information from impacting society.

Kosovo is a society under increasing threat from false information (misinformation, disinformation, malicious information, or
deepfake.) Increased use of social networks and the emergence of various online platforms, combined with the ease of  disseminating information on the Internet, creates a suitable ground for spreading false information. That leads to conflict and
unrest caused by hate speech stemming from false information. 

The Western Balkans, have long been the target of false information. Kosovo is a young country that still has to grapple
with foreign influence accompanied by the dissemination of false information by state and non-state actors. Despite the fact Kosovo has developed some measures to counter false information, the war in Ukraine and the current geopolitical situation pose an imminent threat to Kosovo society, as state and non-state actors are seeking to undermine the democratization effort and sabotage Kosovo´s path toward the membership in the European Union and NATO. Crucially, V4 countries have experience with such malign activities. Experts from Central Europe could provide Kosovo experts and university students with skills and knowledge to help Kosovo counter false information and avoid disrupting the country´s ambitions. Therefore, the project´s relevance is to make Kosovo experts and university students more resilient and capable of countering false information.