On 22 May, ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen joined an international webinar organised by the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation to discuss international solidarity and disinformation during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In his statement, President van Baalen pleaded for an independent investigation into the coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic, conducted by the WHO. To prevent future pandemics, it is crucially important to know where this virus came from, how it was spread and what was the role played by Chinese authorities.

During the Q&A session of the webinar, van Baalen underlined the importance of countering disinformation with fact-based politics: “It is necessary to use social media in our advantage and not to fight fake news with fake news.”

Van Baalen highlighted the role of politicians in educating people and helping organisations to fight the up-hill battle against disinformation – a difficult but necessary task.

You can re-watch the webinar here.