How to use the toolkit

The toolkit is designed to allow users to use it depending on your needs:

Policymakers at EU headquarters and within Member States who shape thematic and geographic strategies.

Arguments and evidence for prioritising media and information integrity.

High-level guidance and suggestions on how to improve the mechanisms and finance available for support to media and information integrity.

Staff at EU Delegations, Member State embassies, and development agencies

For those working at an operation level the toolkit includes checklists and guidance on how to design, implement and measure programmes and projects related to security, governance, human rights, media, digital policy and economic development.

Cross-sectoral actors seeking to integrate media and information integrity into related thematic programmes.

The toolkit will also be useful to implementing partners who require clearer donor expectations and coordination structures.

Content and structure

The toolkit included:

• 5–10 operational recommendations, linked to each OECD Principle, with examples of how they can be implemented across different institutional settings.

• Case studies and country examples highlighting diverse contexts and innovative practices.

• Contextual guidance for applying the toolkit in varying political and media environments.

• Tools, checklists, and indicators to support programme design, donor coordination, and evaluation.

• Cross-cutting guidance on intersectional themes, including gender equality, climate, digital rights, and conflict sensitivity.

It is designed as a modular and evolving resource, adaptable to policy shifts and user feedback, and aligned with existing EU policy tools and external action frameworks.