Research
BROD will be bringing to you focused research reports on topics relevant to Bulgaria and Romania. You will be able to find reports in English here, as well as publications in Bulgarian and Romanian.
In addition to its own outputs in research, BROD curates a collection of older studies of the BROD partners and other relevant reports.
In June of 2022, Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, Twitter (rebranded as X) and a selection of advertising industry companies all signed up to the strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation (European Commission, 2022). One of the goals of this strengthened version of the code was to empower the industry to adhere to self-regulatory standards in order to combat disinformation. The strengthened code also claims to set a more ambitious set of commitments and measures aimed at combating disinformation online.
Our aim here is to offer an assessment or evaluation of the implementation of the 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation (CoP) by these companies in Bulgaria. Very little information exists on the implementation of the strengthened Code of Practice when it comes to Bulgaria by Very Large Online Platforms and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOP and VLOSE) and this is a country which is particularly vulnerable to disinformation narratives. [+]
In this publication, the reader is offered an in-depth analysis of GLOBSEC Trends 2023 results from Bulgaria. [+]
Alongside its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has intensified its hybrid influence operations. Southeast Europe (SEE) in particular remains one of the most vulnerable soft targets for the Kremlin’s ongoing hybrid war. Democratic backsliding, governance deficits, the erosion of civil liberties, and a stalled integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions have kept the region locked in political uncertainty, strategic ambiguity, and susceptibility to foreign malign influence. Media capture and the channelling of illicit financial flows (IFFs) are two of the most critical instruments that the Kremlin employs for state capture in the region. [+]
As Russia’s aggression against Ukraine wages on for a second year, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) finds itself on the right side of history but divided. Most countries remain steadfast in its support for EU and NATO membership, and recognise the inherent threats posed by autocratic regimes to the region’s security. Most CEE societies are taking cue from their political leaders that have sought to openly distance themselves from autocratic regimes and assume a more decisive and vocal role on the international scene. [+]
Lithuania was one of the first European countries to recognize the dangers of relying too heavily on authoritarian regimes. The policies implemented by Lithuania could help other states improve their resilience to foreign malign influence, too. [+]
GLOBSEC provides insight into public attitudes regarding the war in Ukraine in 9 Central and Eastern European EU member states (Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia). While the war serves as disturbing evidence that peace is a fragile thing, it was also a key driver in strengthening solidarity in the region. [+]
A case study by Funky Citizens' Elena Calistru and Laura Burtan highlights that the rise of right-wing nationalists affected Romania, too. The authors demonstrate how the narratives of the AUR seek to undermine trust in democracy and transatlantic unity for their own gains. [+]
If liberal democracies want to enhance their resilience against foreign malign authoritarian actors, including their information operations, they need to create a culture of strategic thinking that will prevent fiascos, such as the European energy crisis. GLOBSEC's policy papers seeks to highlight how this enhanced resilience could be achieved. [+]
GLOBSEC highlights the key factors that contributed to the decline in trust in public institutions in the early years of the 2020's, and offers 11 recommendations to counter this worrying trend. [+]
The GLOBSEC Vulnerability Index measures the vulnerability of eight countries (Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia) towards foreign influence on a 0-100 scale. [+]
