FIMI and Collective Security: The Role of Information Manipulation on Contemporary International Relations

Abstract

This article evaluates the strategic reconfiguration of the European Union, marking the transition from conventional methods of combating disinformation to the implementation of the paradigm of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI). In the current security architecture, this concept becomes the central pillar in the process of securitization of the European information space. The article starts from the assumption that the geopolitical dynamics of 2026 are defined by volatility, and the conclusions of the report of the European External Action Service (EEAS) on the multiplication of hybrid state-origin aggressions validate this hypothesis. Attention is concentrated on Romania’s structural vulnerabilities, as state actors can exacerbate internal crises to fragment societal cohesion and induce political instability. The study shows that, in the specific context of the eastern flank, defensive architecture  can no longer be limited to an exclusively military or technological response. The results highlight the need for citizen-level cognitive resilience, making media literacy a vital component of national security. It is also necessary to adopt the „whole-of-society” model, supported by inter-institutional cooperation, which guarantees the integrity of democratic processes in the face of an information war in permanent development