&lt;p>Propaganda warfare can have as big an impact as regular warfare, says Elmar Brok (EPP), so the EU needs to strike back by setting the record straight - in an entertaining way.&lt;/p>

How can the EU counter propaganda?

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/19499063/n003-0403-en.srt

Repressing dissent and using the media  to promulgate anti-Western sentiment.

Russia, other countries  and media savvy actors

Can Europe strike back?  And how can they counter?

Elmar Brok, Chair of EP's Foreign Affairs  Committee sat down with EuroparlTV.

A poll says 75% of Russians believe that  there are no Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

and it also says that 20% of Russians would  like to wear a T-shirt with Putin's face on it.

What do you make of this? Is Putin the best  modern-day propaganda merchant there is?

Look, he was able to destroy  nearly all independent media.

He has the monopoly of the media  so he can tell his people what he likes.

There is a difference between a democracy

where we have a freedom of media,  with different opinions.

Therefore an autocratic leader is always  more able to manipulate his own people.

And how is the EU's anti-Russian  propaganda not working?

That's the difference that I tried to explain

between an autocratic society  which can produce one opinion

and the European Union, where  in every country we have ten opinions.

In a free society it's very difficult  to come up with one opinion,

Russia has troll farms  made up of hundreds of people.

Is the EU expected to - or does the EU  want to have troll farms of its own?

We have to counter-act them.  Both within the European Union

and in Russia and in the  neighbouring countries of Russia.

Here there are many  modern possibilities available.

We have only to use a little bit more money,

A few facts and figures on Russia Today.  It broadcasts in different languages.

They claim to be the first broadcast channel  to reach a billion views or hits on YouTube.

So what would you like to see Europe do?  Would you like to see a 'Europe Today'?

A 'Europe Today' and  perhaps better cooperation

between the BBC, Deutsche Welle  and the French channels.

And I think we have to put  much more money into that.

I saw it the other day in Iraq  where it was done in Arabic.

There was no BBC and no Deutsche Welle,  but there was Russia Today at the hotel.

Then you see how well  it's spread everywhere.

And we are not much competition for that.

Would the strategy involve  breaking down the myth

or the god-like status  that Putin seems to have acquired?

It's not a question of Putin as such, it's  not a question of anti-Russian movement

So who do you think is pulling the strings?

Would you say it's the Kremlin or would you  put a name on it and call it Putin?

All these policies come  from the Kremlin and Putin.

Moving away from Russia,  there's Ukraine, there's Georgia,

and then of course  the so-called Islamic State

who have been able to  use propaganda to their advantage.

First of all, we have no EU media policy.

We cannot have a unified EU media policy

because it's against our principles,  our free society,

but we must be able to create something  which takes that into account

but gives clear information of our policy,

gives clear information about  what happens in the world,

It's very difficult, it's very expensive,

but our leaders in Brussels and in the  national capitals have to understand

that these days propaganda warfare is  at least as effective as normal warfare