EU drops sponsorship of disinformation conference at Trump officials’ request

The EU’s diplomatic service, Canada and Lithuania withdrew their sponsorship of EU DisinfoLab’s 2026 conference after the Trump administration contacted governments about the event, according to people familiar with the matter.

Shortly before the conference, the three organisations’ logos disappeared from its website. Stickers also covered their marks on printed materials, suggesting the changes were made quickly.

US officials focused on a session examining whether the United States could be a source of foreign information manipulation in Europe. The panel included three Americans, among them a former CIA officer, and considered how Europe might build resilience without Washington.

The sponsors said the session’s framing did not reflect their official positions on the US role in disinformation. Canada cited changes to panel discussions; the EU said organisers had framed some conversations in ways it could not endorse. The program had been in place for months before the withdrawals.

The EU has removed its branding but continues to fund the conference. France, which was reportedly contacted by Washington, said it had no reason to change its commitments. The episode comes amid a broader, increasingly interventionist US approach to European civil society and free speech.