European Parliament proposes to bolster democracy against foreign interference: Russia is the primary external threat, Belarus is also active
On 15 September, the European Parliament adopted (with 420 votes for, 220 against, 26 abstentions) a report on the findings of the special committee on the European Democracy Shield, including practical recommendations on how the EU can do more to defend its democratic institutions and strengthen its existing toolbox.
Parliament’s special committee was set up in December 2024 and tasked with assessing the intensification and impact of hostile activities targeting the EU, such as foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), hybrid attacks, and coordinated disinformation campaigns. In their findings, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) argue that the EU’s approach currently suffers from fragmentation, as individual member states cannot effectively counter these threats on their own.
MEPs support the creation of the EU centre for democratic resilience (as announced by the Commission in its Democracy Shield strategy, in line with proposals tabled by Parliament during the previous term). They see this functioning as an independent ‘centre of excellence’ to combat FIMI and disinformation and coordinate national actions. The new structure should not duplicate existing tools but instead consolidate ongoing EU-level actions into a single entity with a clear vision, mandate, budget, and capacity to act. Participation should be mandatory for all member states, and parliamentary oversight should be ensured.
The report highlights Russia’s frequent hybrid attacks on critical infrastructure, such as cyberattacks, physical sabotage, arson, espionage and signal jamming, also originating from Belarus, China, Iran, and North Korea.
“This report is not about regulating political opinions. It is about protecting our democracy from foreign influence operations. Russian bots are not free speech. Foreign interference is not free speech. And manipulating our elections is certainly not free speech”, said rapporteur Tomas Tobé (European People’s Party/EPP, Sweden) during the plenary debate.
MEPs want expanded sanctions on the enablers of disinformation and on those that help circumvent existing sanctions. It also condemns Russia’s politically motivated “blacklisting” of EU officials, journalists and MEPs as an instrument of hybrid warfare.
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