Empowering Public Watchdogs to Counter Disinformation and Strengthen Democratic Resilience in Europe – CIVIC_ACT
Across Europe and particularly in the Western Balkans, democratic processes are increasingly challenged by disinformation, foreign and domestic information manipulation, and digital threats. These dynamics are further amplified by the rapid development of artificial intelligence, algorithm-driven content distribution, and the erosion of trust in media and public institutions.
Independent public watchdogs, including journalists, activists, representatives of civil society organisations, digital creators, whistleblowers, human rights defenders and researchers are at the forefront of these challenges. They face coordinated disinformation campaigns, online harassment, and legal intimidation, including Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which aim to silence critical voices and weaken democratic accountability.
At the same time, EU policy frameworks such as the European Democracy Shield, the Digital Services Act, the European Media Freedom Act, and the Anti-SLAPP Directive highlight the urgent need to strengthen civic resilience, media literacy, and cross-sector cooperation.
In this context, strengthening democratic resilience requires more than regulation, it requires empowered civic actors capable of responding to these challenges in real time. The project “Empowering Public Watchdogs to Counter Disinformation and Strengthen Democratic Resilience in Europe” (CIVIC_ACT), funded by the CERV Programme of the European Union, responds to these challenges through a cross-sector and transnational approach that places civic actors at the centre of democratic resilience. Rather than focusing solely on technological solutions, the project strengthens the capacities, networks, and agency of those directly engaged in protecting public interest and democratic debate.
Project Aim and Objectives
The project aims to strengthen democratic resilience by empowering public watchdogs, such as journalists, activists, representatives of civil society organisations, digital creators, whistleblowers, human rights defenders and researchers, to counter disinformation, resist SLAPP intimidation, and defend democratic debate across Europe.
To achieve this, CIVIC_ACT focuses on building critical capacities in AI literacy, cybersecurity, media literacy, and public-interest storytelling; fostering cross-sector alliances for countering disinformation; reinforcing legal protections for journalists and civic actors; and influencing EU and national policies to create safer environments for journalism and civic engagement.
From Capacity Building to Policy Impact
CIVIC_ACT follows a structured intervention logic that moves from capacity building to civic engagement and ultimately to policy influence and sustainability.
The project begins by establishing a strong foundation for collaboration and visibility through its launch phase and the further development of SCiDEV’s Digital Rights Resource Hub, ensuring that knowledge and tools developed throughout the project remain accessible and scalable.
It then advances into a phase of intensive capacity building, where participants develop practical skills in AI literacy, cybersecurity, and disinformation detection, combined with hands-on innovation through a civic-tech hackathon that translates knowledge into concrete solutions.
Building on these capacities, the project creates spaces for civic engagement and dialogue. Through regional civic dialogues and storytelling labs, participants work across sectors and countries to exchange experiences, develop responses to disinformation, and produce credible narratives that strengthen public trust and democratic participation.
Finally, CIVIC_ACT consolidates its impact through advocacy and capitalisation. By addressing legal protection, digital resilience, and cross-border cooperation, and by connecting project outcomes with EU-level policy discussions, the project ensures that its results contribute to long-term structural change. The final phase focuses on sustaining these efforts through continued knowledge sharing, dissemination, and strategic engagement with stakeholders.
Towards Sustainable Democratic Resilience
CIVIC_ACT contributes to a more resilient democratic ecosystem by strengthening the role and capacity of public watchdogs in selected countries across Europe, including Western Balkans. It enables civic actors to respond more effectively to disinformation and digital threats, while fostering cooperation across sectors and borders.
By combining practical skills, collaborative approaches, and policy engagement, the project creates lasting tools, networks, and knowledge that extend beyond its duration, supporting a more informed, inclusive, and accountable democratic space.
What CIVIC_ACT Means for SCiDEV
As coordinator of CIVIC_ACT, SCiDEV provides overall strategic leadership, ensuring the effective integration of capacity-building, civic engagement, and policy advocacy across countries and partners. The project builds on SCiDEV’s established track record in advancing media freedom, countering disinformation, and shaping digital and AI governance debates in Albania and the Western Balkans, as well as its active engagement with EU-level policy processes and networks.
CIVIC_ACT represents a scale-up of SCiDEV’s work from national and regional interventions to a structured, transnational initiative with direct relevance to EU priorities under the CERV Programme. By leading this project, SCiDEV strengthens its role as a regional convenor and knowledge broker, connecting grassroots actors with European policymaking spaces and contributing to more coherent, evidence-based responses to threats to democratic resilience.
Disclaimer
The project “Empowering Public Watchdogs to Counter Disinformation and Strengthen Democratic Resilience in Europe” (CIVIC_ACT) is coordinated by the Centre Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV), Albania, and implemented in partnership with the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM), North Macedonia; Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), Serbia; Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK), Kosovo; Association of Journalists of Albania (AJA), Albania; European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Belgium and Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the Netherlands, under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, funded by the CERV Programme of the European Union.
CIVIC_ACT (Project No. 101252459) will be implemented during the period 2 February 2026 – 1 February 2028 with the aim of strengthening democratic resilience by empowering public watchdogs, including journalists, civil society organisations, youth, digital creators, academia, to counter disinformation, resist SLAPP intimidation, and defend democratic debate across Europe.