The Western Balkans Countering Disinformation Wargame was one of the information and training events organized by the Hybrid CoE, the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, in cooperation with the Austrian National Defense Academy.
During this international event, national teams from Western Balkan countries, including Albania, exchanged strategies in the fight against misinformation.

Two MIA representatives – the Coordinators for Information and Content – participated as members of the Albanian national team in the “Demystifying Disinformation” conference, where panel discussions focused on the value of regional cooperation in preventing hybrid threats, the harmful effects of misinformation, the role of civil society, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence and new technologies.

The conference preceded the wargame, a simulation created on the Hybrid CoE’s online platform, TraSim. In the wargame, participants simulated humanitarian emergencies and shared best practices for identifying, countering, and responding to misinformation in their capacities as civil society members and government representatives.

The Albanian national team also included two delegates from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs

The teams from each participating nation developed and implemented their own national communication “strategy,” working together with the media, civil society, the EU, NATO, and other national teams to counter the misinformation spread by “adversaries.”.
Some of the benefits of participating in this event were deepening the understanding of hybrid threats, responding quickly and effectively as part of responsible actors’ strategies and policies, and emphasizing the critical role of international cooperation in achieving common goals.

In June this year, Albania’s accession to the Hybrid CoE completed the participation of all EU and NATO countries.