European Parliament monitors interference and disruption of elections

In a joint letter, twelve EU member states, including Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, recently called on the European Commission to use the powers of the Digital Services Act (DSA) to protect the integrity of European elections. They emphasize the need for urgent and collective action against foreign interference.

The new parliamentary committee will focus not only on covert propaganda by foreign powers but also on sponsored disinformation spread by anonymous social media accounts. Such activities pose a direct threat to the stability and sovereignty of EU member states.

A recent example of such interference is the presidential election in Romania. In December, the Constitutional Court in Bucharest had to annul the first round of that election due to suspicions of Russian influence via TikTok. This incident highlights the urgency of measures against foreign interference.

Concerns about pro-Russian interference also exist in Georgia. Although this country is not yet a full EU member, it has close ties with the EU, and such influence attempts are worrying for the democratic processes in the region.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is a recently introduced EU legislation that requires major social media platforms, such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), to moderate and remove harmful content. Failure to comply can lead to fines of up to 6% of annual global turnover. The DSA thus provides an important tool to combat the spread of disinformation and foreign interference.

The new parliamentary committee will closely collaborate with the European Commission and EU countries to act against these threats. In addition to tackling foreign interference, the committee will also focus on internal threats, such as the spread of disinformation by domestic actors.