PM says France is the top EU target for foreign disinformation campaigns
France's Prime Minister François Bayrou, at the Elysée Palace, in Paris, on March 26, 2025. Photo by Ludovic Marin / AFP
Le Monde
France has, in recent years, witnessed more disinformation campaigns coming "from abroad," including Russia, than any other European country apart from Ukraine, Prime Minister François Bayrou said on Friday, March 28. "France is a prime target," Bayrou said at a forum organised by Viginum, a French government agency mandated to detect disinformation, adding that information wars have worsened "in the context of ongoing conflicts and geopolitical tensions."
"The threat is there. It is an immediate threat, close to us, which affects every French person," Bayrou said. He said artificial intelligence "allows this manipulation to be carried out on an unprecedented scale."
"We are detecting massive interventions coming from Russia," said the French prime minister, also saying there were signs of information manipulation coming from China. Citing a report from the European External Action Service, the EU's diplomatic body, he said that of 505 incidents recorded in Europe between 2023 and 2024, 257 concerned Ukraine and 152 concerned France.
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