Democracy

This collaborative guide by TacticalTech, supported by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung EU | Global Dialogue, looks at a digital information landscape that is fast becoming a toxic wasteland. The RePlaybook gathers insights from 30 organisations and practitioners at the forefront of the response. It combines thought leadership and practical approaches. It equips communicators, campaigners, journalists, and researchers with fresh tools for navigating complexity and strengthening climate discourse in an age of cultural divides and contested truth.

Hybrid threats, rooted in authoritarian uses of technology, cause everyday harm. Collective resilience requires dismantling their ecosystems through reconceptualising these threats, comprehensive countermeasures, and cross-regional cooperation. Europe and Asia already cooperate on cyber defence but must go further to disincentivise authoritarian practices directly.

Europe and Canada can only protect their digital ecosystems against US interference if they start investing in tech sovereignty now.

In November 2024, the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad killed 16 people and sparked the largest student-led protests in Serbia's modern history. Initial grief gave way to a decentralised movement that is demanding accountability, far-reaching reforms and new elections, despite brutal repression by the regime. The protests have exposed the failure of 'stabilitocracy' and brought Serbia's democratic future — and the EU's role in it — to the forefront of political debate.

Dire headlines followed the EU-US trade deal – but this is not Europe’s death, it’s a test. Europe still has strengths, but must use this moment to reform and adapt. Read more in our Böll EU 8/2025 Newsletter.

This month, we’re highlighting some of our key articles and publications from the past few months – perfect for your summer reading list.

For the third time, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue, in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Washington, DC, is looking for a select number of journalists reporting on climate disinformation. Apply now if you have research ideas on the threat of growing climate denialism, the relation between big tech and climate obstruction, the climate counter-disinformation community or similar topics. The application deadline is Tuesday 9 September 2025, 23:59 CEST.

As Karol Nawrocki assumes office as president, subtle shifts reshape the Polish political landscape in the wake of the election. In the new study summarized here Przemysław Sadura and Sławomir Sierakowski explore the potential collapse of the long-standing KO-PiS duopoly and its replacement by a new duopoly on the horizon.

Viktor Orbán scored a major “own goal” by banning Pride celebrations in Hungary, to summarize what happened in his political vocabulary, provoking Hungary’s biggest-ever Pride in Budapest, resulting in 200,000 participants and a strong sense of demanding political regime change in the country.

Tackling climate disinformation requires sustained investment, yet the counter-disinformation community remains underfunded, and regulation faces significant resistance, writes Zora Siebert.