European Green Deal: Mapping perceptions in Central and Eastern Europe

June 2022

The European Green Deal is a set of policies launched by the European Commission in December 2019 as a part of the European Union’s efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The measures proposed aim to reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030 while creating new opportunities for innovations, investments and jobs.  

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, insecurities in European society have grown and the European Green Deal has become a target of disinformation as well as a proxy for communication of anti-EU or pro-Russian narratives. These narratives stoke a diverse variety of sometimes competing concerns from climate change, energy security and financial stability to increasing EU incursion into individual member states and increasing economic disparity benefiting certain member states. Ultimately this stymies balanced and informed discussion of this complex subject and serves to undermine EU integrity and cohesion as well as muddle discussion on energy independence and security that has risen to the forefront of Russian sanctions discussions in the wake of the invasion.    

IRI’s Beacon project is leading an initiative of six partner organizations to monitor how the European Green Deal is perceived in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. The monitoring will examine the context in which local actors discuss topics related to this policy package and the prevailing narratives being spread by political actors, mainstream media, and sources known for spreading disinformation. From monitoring the Czech chain email scene to analyzing energy security discussions in Romania, each partner's national perspective and focus on different aspects of “green” narratives. 

All publications produced by IRI’s Beacon Project partners reflect their own opinions, not those of IRI: Center for Propaganda and Disinformation Analysis (Poland), Prague Security Studies Institute (Czech Republic), Europeum, Czech Republic, Infosecurity.sk (Slovakia), 45North (Romania), and Center for the Study of Democracy (Bulgaria). 

Published Reports:

Regional 

European Green Deal Series: Analysis of Most Interacted with Facebook Posts from 5 countries              Read

An Easy Target              Read

Bulgaria

Countering Green Deal Disinformation Narratives in Bulgaria              Read

Slovakia

Green Deal and Climate Change: Communication trends in the Slovak Information Space              Read

The EU and Green Deal as a Scapegoat for Energy Woes              Read

Slovakia Green Deal: Efforts to Diversify Energy Sources Boost pro-Russian Propaganda              Read

Green Deal Disinformation Slovakia: Ban on the Sale of Combustion EngineCars Sparked a Wave of Disinformation              Read

Czech Republic

The European Green Deal and the Energy Crisis in the Czech Information Space: Stakeholders' Perspective              Read

The European Green Deal and the Energy Crisis in the Czech Information Space              Read

European Green Deal in the Czech Online Information Space              Read

How do Czech and Slovak Governmental Parties Perceive the EU's Green Deal?              Read

Climate, Energy and the Green Deal in the Czech Chain Mails              Read

Monitoring of the EU's Green Policies: Perceptions and narratives in the Czech and Slovak Information Space              Read