MEPs advocate a significant strengthening of sanctions
The European Parliament this Tuesday defended measures to strengthen the protection of democracies against disinformation, electoral interference and hybrid threats, including binding instruments, more severe sanctions, greater accountability of digital platforms and the creation of a European center.
The position is contained in the recommendations approved by the Special Commission on the European Shield of Democracy, which aims to strengthen the European Union’s (EU) response to foreign interference, hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns.
“MEPs want an operational Democracy Shield, equipped with binding instruments, more severe sanctions, accountability of platforms and a fully developed EU center for democratic resilience”, indicates the European assembly in a statement.
The report approved this Tuesday highlights that the objective is to provide the EU with more effective means of action, including mechanisms with legal force, in a context in which MEPs warn of the growing sophistication of external influence operations.
Parliamentarians defend a significant reinforcement of sanctions against actors involved in disinformation and interference campaigns, as well as greater demands on digital platforms in combating the spread of manipulated content.
The approved text also highlights the need to strengthen the EU’s preparedness for crises, including warning and coordination tools and greater investment in the resilience of democratic institutions.
According to the conclusions, there are increasingly frequent hybrid attacks by Russia against critical infrastructures, such as cyberattacks, physical sabotage, arson, espionage and signal interference.
These actions now also originate from Belarus, China, Iran and North Korea.
Quoted in the statement, the institution’s MEP rapporteur for the matter, Tomas Tobé, warns of the increasing complexity of threats: “The manipulation of foreign information, disinformation and hybrid interference are becoming increasingly sophisticated and coordinated”.
The proposal now goes to a vote in the plenary of the European Parliament, scheduled for September.
The Special Committee on the European Shield of Democracy is a temporary structure of the European Parliament created to analyze and propose measures to protect democracy in the EU, especially against disinformation, foreign interference and hybrid threats.
It was created in 2024, at the beginning of the European Parliament’s new term, to work specifically on developing the so-called European Shield of Democracy.
The European Shield of Democracy is an initiative announced by the European Commission, which includes measures to make the EU more resilient, including greater cooperation between Member States, stricter rules for digital platforms, combating electoral manipulation and creating coordination structures, such as a European center dedicated to democratic resilience.
