Monaco’s Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers culminated in Strasbourg this week, hosting a major international conference tackling digital disinformation, press freedom, and the critical role of independent journalism in safeguarding democratic institutions.
Titled ‘Youth facing disinformation – Why journalists matter’, the two-day summit (9th and 10th November) brought together young delegates from across the Council’s 46 member states alongside media professionals, legal figures, and institutional representatives.
A European call against disinformation
Opening the proceedings, Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Monaco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and current President of the Committee of Ministers, warned against the damaging societal effects of weaponised media.
“Information is all too often exploited, politicised or misrepresented,” Berro-Amadeï said, adding: “Public debate cannot be built on distorted facts or biased arguments. The polarisation of societies and xenophobia are phenomena that are very easy to stoke but particularly difficult to dispel once they have taken hold.” She highlighted that combating information manipulation requires a unified European response focused on empowering younger generations to evaluate digital content critically.
High-profile Monégasque support
Monaco’s presence extended to the cultural and media sector with the involvement of journalist, director, and producer Béatrice Borromeo Casiraghi. Speaking to delegates, Borromeo Casiraghi addressed the distorting mechanics of contemporary digital platforms.
“Online noise is where disinformation thrives. When facts, opinions and deliberate manipulation become harder to distinguish, the very fabric of our democratic societies begins to unravel,” she said. She drew attention to the growing tension between engagement-driven technology models and public-interest journalism, calling for renewed support for reporters who hold power to account.
As part of the initiative, Borromeo Casiraghi presented grants to four youth-led media literacy initiatives selected following a European call for proposals, including projects by the European Youth Press and Fundación Maldita.es.
Institutional push for media resilience
The Strasbourg summit, organised as part of the broader ‘Journalists Matter’ campaign, also featured contributions from Tanja Gonggrijp, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Mattias Guyomar, President of the European Court of Human Rights. Both leaders reinforced the legal and civic necessity of protecting reporters in an era marked by digital noise and legal pressure.
The event concluded on Tuesday 10th November at the European Youth Centre, where youth delegates completed practical fact-checking workshops and drafted a collective pledge outlining policy recommendations to support press integrity across Europe.
Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, listen to our podcasts on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.
Foreign Minister Isabelle Berro-Amadeï presenting at the Strasbourg conference on disinformation. Main photo credit: Council of Europe