ISTANBUL

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned on Tuesday at the Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) Conference that democracies face not only physical threats but also a “cognitive war” aimed at shaping public opinion.

“It is clear that the security environment is getting more intense everywhere, and it’s not only the battles that we see on the ground.

“We also have the cognitive war, the war for the hearts and minds of the people. On one side, it is fought with lies, with false narratives, that is really undermining our democracies,” Kallas said.

She emphasized the need to actively counter the cognitive war.

EU’s top diplomat also stressed that the EU must keep its tools for fighting disinformation confidential, warning that adversaries who learn about them could exploit weaknesses.

“We have to keep in mind that might make us weaker if our adversaries know, because they can then prepare to address these issues differently. So we have to constantly adapt and also change our course,” she explained.

She stressed that the bloc has mostly been reactive so far.

“They attack. We try to avoid and get out there. We should also use more offensive measures,” she said.