The Liberal Hack 2026 - Winners Meeting brought the winning team of the Liberal Hack 2026 to Brussels offering them the unique opportunity to present and further develop their policy proposal From Scrolling to Knowing - A Youth Guide to Fighting Disinformation directly to MEPs and stakeholders.
Aiming to dismantle disinformation and anti-state propaganda within youth, the project proposal sets out to address and combat the spread of disinformation amongst young people in the EU. This would be made possible through allowing the youth themselves to contribute and engage in the effort, through engaging and empowering youth ambassadors on the topic to foster peer-to-peer communication.
Focus was on EU Security and Defence, particularly in the fields of hybrid warfare and disinformation. During the event, the winning team pitched their project and met several expert in the field and exchanging views, creating the opportunity for high-level policy dialogue and networking.
The event opened at the ALDE Party Office with welcoming remarks by Tommy Monahan (LYMEC) and Ola Rymaszewska (ELF). Participants engaged in an agenda-setting session and a pitch preview to refine their presentations and policy recommendations.
The first meeting with Petras Katinas, Research Fellow in Climate, Energy and Defence at RUSI Europe, constituted an insightful content session on Resilience, Readiness and Europe’s Security Future, offering participants policy insights into defence challenges in the Baltics and advice on how to advocate effectively in Brussels.
Building on these insights into Europe’s security challenges, the programme then shifted its focus towards understanding how to influence EU policy.
This was explored through a meeting with Renew Europe MEP Petras Auštrevičius . During the meeting, the participants directly presented their winning policy proposals to him and exchanged valuable views on European defence strategy.
The final meeting complemented these discussions by turning attention to another crucial dimension of European security and hybride warfare: the information space. An expert briefing on Defending the European Information Space from Disinformation was delivered by Bojan Kordalov, Director of Policy and Communication at the European Centre of Excellence. The session provided participants with valuable insights, and helped strengthen the project's understanding on how to defend Europe's information space.
Taken together, these three sessions provided the participants with valuable insights and a deepened understanding on the EU policy cycle, further inspiring them to take their project to the next steps.
In addition to the formal meetings, several informal moments provided opportunities for participants to connect, exchange ideas and continue conversations. This included networking lunches and dinners as well as taking part in the European Liberal Forum General Assembly Evening Reception as well as Stronger NATO for a Stronger Europe Conference at the European Parliament.
You can access the From Scrolling to Knowing - A Youth Guide to Fighting Disinformation policy proposal here.
The event was organised by the European Liberal Forum in cooperation with the European Liberal Youth LYMEC. The event received financial support from the European Parliament. The sole liability remains with the organiser. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
From Scrolling to Knowing - The Liberal Hack Winners' Team taking their ideas to the heart of European policy making