EU Launches ‘Democracy Shield’ to fight russian disinformation and protect electoral process

The European Commission is preparing to present its latest plan to protect the European Union (EU) and candidate countries for membership from foreign interference and political manipulation.

The “Democracy Shield,” as it is called, represents a set of proposals that will be gradually introduced in the coming years. An advanced version of the document, which the Radio Free Europe editorial team had access to, emphasizes that Russia is the main direct threat to both the EU and the countries aspiring to join the bloc.

The European Commission will present the plan on November 12.

“In addition to its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia is also escalating hybrid attacks, leading a battle for influence against Europe. The tactics it uses penetrate deep into the fabric of our societies, with potentially long-lasting consequences,” the draft states.

“By spreading deceptive narratives, sometimes including the manipulation and falsification of historical facts, they try to undermine trust in democratic systems.”

No other country is mentioned in the 30-page text, although the EU has previously expressed concern over China’s attempts to expand its political influence across the continent.

The Age of Disinformation

The issue of combating disinformation and foreign interference is causing controversy both in Brussels and beyond.

The EU is still recovering from the sharp criticism made by US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference in February, when he argued that the danger to the EU comes not from China or Russia, but from within—through censorship and the suppression of dissent and different opinions.

The criticism followed shortly after Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the presidential elections in December 2024, just days before the second round was supposed to be held.

The court ruled that the Kremlin had run an online campaign to promote the nationalist candidate, Călin Georgescu, who finished first. Many critics accused the court of political interference in the election and undermining freedom of speech.

Because of this, the European Commission is proceeding cautiously.

Part of this caution stems from the fact that many of these issues are within the competence of individual member states, but also because Brussels is wary of being further antagonistic toward large online platforms, especially those based in the US like Google, Microsoft, and Meta, given unpredictable transatlantic relations, trade wars, and fears that the United States might withdraw more troops from the continent.

Nevertheless, the draft suggests that the EU must cooperate with these tech giants. Most of them, with the noticeable exception of Elon Musk’s X platform, have signed the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation, which means that companies like Facebook and TikTok regularly submit reports to the European Commission on how they are dealing with the problem.

Calling on Artificial Intelligence

The document proposes that the European Commission should put further pressure on these companies to do more to “demonetize disinformation” and improve the detection and labeling of content generated and manipulated using artificial intelligence.

The focus of the “Democracy Shield” initiative is threefold: improving situational awareness, supporting democratic institutions and free media, and strengthening citizen engagement.

The main proposal is the establishment of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience. This center would be a hub that “connects existing networks and structures working on the prevention, detection, analysis, and response to threat patterns in the information space, and develops common approaches, practices, and methodologies, while exchanging relevant data and analysis.”

The European Union already tried this once, in 2019, but the rapid alert system never came to fruition. This second attempt will involve EU institutions, member states, and even candidate countries like Moldova and Ukraine, as well as those from the Western Balkans.

However, the European Commission wants to make it clear that this is not some kind of “Ministry of Truth.” The plans will be introduced gradually, participation will be voluntary, and the center will operate “while respecting the competencies of the EU and national authorities.”

Carefully Monitoring Elections

Other ideas include the introduction of an “EU Digital Identity Wallet” next year for EU citizens and residents, the establishment of a European network of fact-checkers who will work on a fact-checking database, and a “voluntary network of influencers to raise awareness of relevant EU rules and share best practices.”

Recalling the parliamentary elections in Moldova in September, where Russia was heavily involved in trying to shape the outcome, the draft also proposes that EU election observation missions outside the bloc be strengthened “to assist national authorities throughout the electoral cycle”—which Brussels likely plans to replicate in the upcoming, highly uncertain parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Similarly, it has been proposed to expand the mandate of the European Digital Media Observatory, which provides research and analysis on disinformation campaigns. It will now receive more funding to work on issues related to elections, not only in EU member states but also in partner countries.

The document also mentions financial support for independent media and journalism in the EU’s neighborhood, including Belarus and Russia.

Specific amounts are not stated. However, many of the programs proposed under the “Democracy Shield” are currently included in the European Commission’s proposal for the EU’s seven-year budget of €2 trillion ($2.3 trillion), which begins in 2028./RSE/