Attacks in the Information Domain: How Austria Plans to Strengthen Its Democratic Resilience
Disinformation, deliberate polarization, and hybrid warfare threaten liberal democracy in Europe. With support from the ERSTE Foundation, the INVED platform (Institute for the Defense of European Democracies) is launching a nationwide project to raise awareness and sustainably strengthen society’s resilience.
“Without a vibrant democracy, prosperity cannot be distributed fairly—and without economic stability, the foundations of democracy are shaken,” according to the ERSTE Foundation and INVED. / Picture: © Parlamentsdirektion/Bubu Dujmic
Today, the threat to liberal democracy is no longer limited to military mobilizations—it takes place every day, often unnoticed, in the information sphere. On major social media platforms in particular, narratives that are factually inaccurate, divisive, and directed against fundamental democratic values are becoming increasingly prevalent. What may appear to laypeople as isolated expressions of opinion is, in reality, part of a deliberate strategy: the aim is to systematically undermine trust in state institutions, demonize the European Union, and downplay the severity of authoritarian regimes.
This alarming development has gained massive momentum, at the latest since the Russian Federation’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and reached a new level of escalation with the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In this context, security experts refer to “active measures” or hybrid warfare—a mix of covert influence operations, cyberattacks, and targeted disinformation aimed at destabilizing open societies.
The INVED Platform Initiative
To effectively counter this insidious threat, the Austrian INVED platform calls for an urgent shift in thinking and heightened public awareness. Neither the scale nor the diversity of these attacks directed against society are currently sufficiently known to the general public.
To close this knowledge gap, INVED is focusing on direct education and training for key influencers. As part of a project running through November 2026, intensive discussion forums, small-group briefings, and one-on-one conversations will be conducted. Preparation follows the established “train-the-trainer” principle to ensure that the knowledge gained can be sustainably disseminated across various sectors of society.
The project involves key figures from sectors such as Civil Society & NGOs, Media & Journalism, Science & Research, and Politics & Diplomacy. The initiative’s goal is not merely the exchange of information, but rather to gain new insights from diverse perspectives to create an accurate picture of the situation and develop recommendations for action to increase societal resilience.
The ERSTE Foundation as a Strong Partner
The initiative is supported by the ERSTE Foundation. As a private, nonprofit foundation, it aims to promote a free, open, and resilient society in which all people can participate on an equal footing and with self-determination.
The foundation believes that democracy and economic performance are closely linked. In addition to its focus on democratic values and principles, the organization is strongly committed to the financial health of the population, as economic security is a fundamental prerequisite for social stability.
The Erste Group Bank AG owns the ERSTE Foundation, with a 12.41% stake held directly and a 26.42% stake held jointly with its syndicate partners (including savings bank foundations and Wiener Städtische Wechselseitige), and is the core shareholder of Erste Group Bank AG. The remaining 73.58% is held by institutional and private investors.
Between 2005 and 2025, a total of 187.4 million euros in grant funding was invested in more than 2,500 projects in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. In accordance with the foundation’s mission, distributions and profits are reinvested directly into nonprofit social initiatives.
The alliance between the INVED platform and the ERSTE Foundation underscores that protecting democracy against hybrid threats and disinformation is a task for society as a whole. By connecting experts from the media, academia, diplomacy, and civil society, Austria’s civic immune system is strengthened sustainably. The findings generated as part of the project through the end of 2026 will be made available to the public and will guide future protective measures.