Project Kicks Off: BROD 2.0 starts Second Phase with Regional Workshop on Election Integrity in Southeast Europe

The second phase of the Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media (BROD 2.0) officially commenced on November 5, 2025, with a workshop dedicated to “Election Integrity in Southeast Europe,” marking a significant step in the regional effort to combat disinformation and enhance democratic resilience.

The workshop brought together representatives from BROD 2.0 partners — including Isabelle Wirth from Agence France-Presse (AFP), Calin Georgia from Funky Citizens, and Keith Kiely from the Institute GATE at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. The event was moderated by Iglika Ivanova. Participants discussed the challenges and opportunities in securing transparent and trustworthy electoral processes across Southeast Europe.

The event was the kick-off meeting for the second part of BROD 2.0, a project operating under the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme, which supports initiatives aimed at countering disinformation, promoting media literacy, and ensuring compliance with the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation (CoPD) and the Digital Services Act (DSA).

BROD 2.0 continues the mission of the original BROD initiative, expanding its scope to include Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova. The project brings together 12 organizations — including academic institutions, research centers, media organizations, and technology companies — working collaboratively across seven interconnected work packages.

The project is coordinated by the Institute GATE at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, with key partners contributing specialized expertise:

• Athens Technology Center 
• SNSPA (Romania) – Leads research on disinformation narratives and trends.
• COMMETRIC – Develops AI-enhanced monitoring and analysis tools, expanding the platform with Moldovan language support.
• Funky Citizens – Coordinates the regional fact-checking network and community engagement.
• AFP (Agence France-Presse) – Provides verification tools, tutorials, and online modules for media literacy and fact-checking.
• BNT Bulgarian National Television
• GLOBSEC 
• CJI (Center for Independent Journalism) 
• NTCenter
• Vitosha Research (CSD Group)
• XWiki Software

Through these partnerships, BROD 2.0 aims to develop advanced analytical tools, strengthen regional fact-checking networks, and enhance public resilience against digital manipulation.

The BROD 2.0 kick-off coincided with the Sofia Information Integrity Forum (SIIF) 2025, held from 5–7 November at Sofia University. The Forum, co-coranised and hosted by GATE Institute, will gather leading international experts, researchers, and policymakers to discuss how technology, policy, and scientific approaches can reinforce trust in information ecosystems. Speakers include  Prof. Stephan Lewandowsky (University of Bristol) – expert on cognitive psychology and disinformation effects;  Dr. Neville Bolt – Director, Sympodium Institute for Strategic Communications; Saman Nazari – Chief Analyst, Alliance4Europe; Jānis Karlsbergs – Deputy Director, NATO StratCom Centre of Excellence.

The forum features sessions on foreign influence resilience, AI-driven analysis of information operations, and media literacy innovation, reinforcing the BROD 2.0 project’s commitment to bridging research, policy, and practice in the fight against disinformation.