France, Germany Could Look to TikTok, YouTube Bloggers to Fight Putin Propaganda
- Countries drafted joint non-paper about EU-Russia relations
- Discussion paper proposes video bloggers offer media literacy
Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron
Photographer: Valeria Mongelli/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Germany and France want the European Union to drive a wedge between President Vladimir Putin and the Russian people with a campaign to counter propaganda within Russia and a visa policy that signals Europe is still open to ordinary citizens.
In a joint non-paper titled “Defending the international order in an age of systemic rivalry: EU-Russia relations,” France and Germany say the EU needs to continue exploring “creative ways” to allow for the dissemination of independent information to and within Russia, according to a copy of the document seen by Bloomberg. A non-paper is an unofficial document drafted by technical experts from EU member states for closed-door discussions.