Politico: Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, other big brands told by MEPs to stop ads fueling Russian disinformation in Balkans

Big brands such Lidl, Coca-Cola and L'Oréal must stop advertising on pro-Kremlin media outlets in the Balkans, European Parliament lawmakers told the companies in a letter seen by POLITICO.

The 15 brands should "rigorously review [their] advertising policies to ensure that your expenditures do not, even unintentionally, fund outlets known for disseminating harmful disinformation," said the letter sent Thursday by Bulgarian conservative MEP Andrey Kovatchev and 15 other lawmakers from the center right, liberals, socialists and the Greens…

EU officials and disinformation experts have been warning about a growing tide of fake news online and foreign attempts to sway the vote ahead of the June parliamentary election.

"Many media organizations that promote pro-Kremlin disinformation often use advertising bought by reputable companies to strengthen their credibility," Kovatchev said, adding that these brands were not always aware they could end up "support[ing] pro-Russian propaganda channels."

The Balkan Free Media Initiative — the Brussels-based NGO behind the move — reported in 2023 that global brands, through agencies and adtech firms, were spending hundreds of millions of euros on Serbian and Bulgarian media that spread government propaganda and Kremlin-backed narratives linked to the invasion of Ukraine.