Europe reveals measures to combat misinformation, preserve free and fair elections
Ireland’s EU Commissioner Michael McGrath has leant his support to new EU measures to combat online disinformation and misinformation aimed at destabilising elections.
The European Democracy Shield and the EU Strategy for Civil Society present measures to protect the key pillars of democratic systems: free people, free and fair elections, free and independent media, a vibrant civil society and strong democratic institutions. Both initiatives had been outlined in the political guidelines and this year’s State of the Union address by President Ursula von der Leyen.
The European Democracy Shield will present actions across three pillars: safeguarding the integrity of the information space; strengthening our institutions, fair and free elections, and free and independent media; and boosting societal resilience and citizens’ engagement.
Under Democracy Shield a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience will be established to bring together EU and Member States’ expertise and resources to increase our collective capacity to anticipate, detect and respond to threats and build democratic resilience. With member states at its core, the Centre will act as a framework to facilitate information sharing and support capacity building to withstand evolving common threats, in particular foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and disinformation.
A Stakeholder Platform will also be established within the Centre to facilitate dialogue with trusted stakeholders such as civil society organisations, researchers and academia, fact-checkers and media providers.
“Democracy is the foundation of our freedom, prosperity, and security,” said von der Leyen. “The European Democracy Shield will reinforce the core elements that allow citizens to live our shared democratic values every day – free speech, independent media, resilient institutions, and a vibrant civil society. This is Europe’s strength and we must increase our collective capacity to protect it at all times.”
Safeguarding the integrity of the information space
Strengthening the integrity of the information space is essential for people to exercise their rights and engage in democracy. The Commission will further work with signatories under the Code of Conduct on Disinformation and prepare a Digital Services Act incidents and crisis protocol to facilitate coordination among relevant authorities and ensure swift reactions to large-scale and potentially transnational information operations. An independent European Network of Fact-Checkers will be set up to boost fact-checking capacity in all EU official languages and the European Digital Media Observatory will develop new independent monitoring and analytical capabilities for situational awareness on elections or in situations of crises.
Strengthening institutions, elections and independent media
While the organisation and conduct of elections are the competence of the Member States, strengthened cooperation at EU level is necessary to address common challenges in this field. The Commission will therefore reinforce the work under the European Cooperation Network on Elections, organising systematic exchanges on key topics for the integrity of electoral processes. The Commission will also present a guidance on the responsible use of AI in electoral processes and update the Digital Services Act (DSA) Elections Toolkit.
Boosting societal resilience and citizens’ engagement
To help address growing violence against political candidates and elected representatives, the Commission will present a recommendation and a guide of best practices in the Member States on the safety of political actors.
Reinforced financial support for independent and local journalism will be provided under the new Media Resilience Programme, which will bridge current support to media with funding programmes proposed in the new Multiannual Financial Framework. In the upcoming review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the Commission will assess ways to strengthen the prominence of media services of general interest and modernise advertising rules to foster the sustainability of EU media.
The Commission will present an update of the Commission’s Recommendation on the Safety of Journalists and will step up action to support the EU’s existing framework to combat abusive lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).
To help recognise and counter information manipulation, the Commission will roll out measures to foster media and digital literacy for all ages. The Commission will develop an EU citizenship competence framework along with guidelines to strengthen citizenship education in schools.
“Defending democracy is our first line of defence against rising political confrontation, regional and global conflicts, and rapid technological disruption. Democracy is not a destination, but a daily commitment – one that demands constant strengthening and renewal,” said Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law & Consumer Protection Michael McGrath. “The Democracy Package will serve as our roadmap to confront the evolving challenges our democracies face, and to support all those who uphold them. Ultimately, democracy is only as strong as the people who believe in it. We must continue working together to protect and promote it for generations to come.”
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