EU Acts to Safeguard Elections and Press from Hybrid Threats

The bloc's so-called 'democracy shield' features a new center aimed at combating misinformation. Detractors argue the initiative...

The bloc's so-called 'democracy shield' features a new center aimed at combating misinformation. Detractors argue the initiative is weak.

The European Union aims to combat foreign interference and reduce the spread of online misinformation — however, specialists argue that the set of mostly voluntary actions announced on Wednesday represent just a minor progress toward this objective.

The European Commission's latest policy initiatives, referred to as a "democracy shield," involve establishing a new EU hub focused on "democratic resilience" and providing financial support for independent fact-checking organizations in every language used within the union.

"False information, algorithmic influence, economic pressure on media outlets, and artificial intelligence technologies now pose a risk to our democratic way of life," European Commissioner Michael McGrath stated to journalists on Wednesday.

Authoritarian governments are employing mixed strategies, targeting infrastructure, leveraging migration, controlling information, utilizing criminal organizations, and meddling in our voting systems.

Beside him, the EU's digital representative Henna Virukkunen was more direct in her statement, openly blamingRussia is accused of targeting the alliance through "information manipulation and interference."

What is the EU's 'democracy protection'?

The European Commission's so-called democratic safeguard primarily depends on strengthening current actions or enhancing cooperation.

EU representatives aim to collaborate with technology firms to develop a new "incidents and crisis" framework, ensuring that EU governments can respond more quickly if they detect a large-scale misinformation effort.

The Commission also pledged to "strengthen" support for regional and independent media and "evaluate" innovative methods to "update advertising regulations in order to ensure the long-term viability of EU media."

However, the top priority was assigned to the bloc's new anti-disinformation center, which an EU official mentioned is expected to start operating next week. McGrath stated that the new facility should assist EU countries in collaborating to "anticipate risks" and "refine" their reactions.

Future members also welcome

Aspiring EU membersfor example, Ukraine, Montenegro, or Albania will also be invited to become members.

"The truth is that as they draw nearer to joining the EU, the level of danger they encounter regarding foreign interference will only increase," McGrath stated.

Candidate country of the EU and former Soviet state Moldovaencountered extensive interference efforts during key elections this year,including initiatives revealed by reporters where residents were given money from Russian banks to share anti-government material online. Moscow refuted any participation in interference.

Is the plan effective?

However, this new flagship center remains a voluntary initiative, indicating that national EU governments are not required to participate.

Policy analyst Luise Quaritsch notes that this is due to the bloc's executive being cautious about stepping on the toes of member states.

"Member states do not necessarily want the European Commission to be overly involved in areas they consider as national competence and issues of sovereignty," Quaritsch, a researcher at the Jacques Delors Centre think tank, told okay1.

She mentioned that Brussels' new strategies are filled with "positive ideas," but cautions that the present EU method of combating misinformation—which involves revealing and refuting specific examples of false stories circulated by online bots or "doppelgänger" websites created to make users believe they are reading articles from national news sites—might not be effective.

"At the point people have viewed them, or by the time fact-checking is implemented, it's already too late. People have already seen it, and it doesn't really matter anymore," she explained.

Wary of Washington?

The EU's executive made a point of emphasizing that its democracy protection will not suppress free speech or expression. The statement appeared to be thoughtfully designed not only for EU residents, but also for legislators in the United States.

The administration of Trump has criticized the EU's digital regulations, with Vice President JD Vance delivering a speech in Paris earlier this year where he criticized the group and stated that "America cannot and will not accept" foreign governments "applying pressure" on American technology firms.

The actions taken on Wednesday did not impose any new legal requirements on major technology companies, but rather encouraged platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Google—those that have voluntarily joined an EU code of conduct against misinformation—to collaborate more actively with governments.

X marks the spot?

This brought X, formerly known as Twitter, back into the spotlight, as it stepped away from all voluntary EU initiatives in 2023 under Elon Musk's leadership.

On Wednesday, the European Commission once more rejected claims that it has postponed the results of a two-year investigation into potential violations of EU law at X in an effort to maintain good relations with the Trump administration during unclear circumstances regarding US tariffs and backing for Ukraine.

The Commission has been implementing these regulations daily," Virkkunen said to journalists. "We are also expected to finalize some of the investigations in the coming weeks and months. Therefore, the work is continuously advancing.

Journalists Without Borders was one of the groups urging the EU to strengthen technological measures in its democracy protection strategy.

"It's time to regain control over the digital world, making sure that the algorithms used by social media platforms and AI assistants are created to support democratic values by highlighting reliable news outlets," said Director-General Thibaut Bruttin on Wednesday.

Author: Rosie Birchard