The lack of EU measures and sanctions makes intervention an attractive tactic for foreign actors, says the European Union's Committee on Foreign Interference and Disinformation.
On Tuesday, MEPs concluded an 18-month investigation by the Special Committee on Foreign Interference (ING) and adopted their final recommendations.
The European public and government officials are “largely” unaware of the severity of the threat posed by foreign autocratic regimes, particularly Russia and China, MEPs say in the text. Insufficient protection has made it easier for malicious actors to take control of critical infrastructure, carry out cyberattacks, recruit former senior politicians and polarise public debate. This is exacerbated by gaps in legislation and insufficient coordination between EU countries.
Response
To counter the threats, INGE members call on the EU to raise public awareness through training for people in sensitive positions and general information campaigns. Furthermore, the EU should strengthen its capabilities and build a sanctions regime against disinformation. Rules on social media platforms, which serve as tools for foreign interference, should also be tightened.
Furthermore, the commission recommended the following:
Support widely distributed media and fact-checkers;
Make online platforms invest in language capabilities to be able to act on illegal and harmful content in all EU languages;
Treat digital electoral infrastructure as critical;
To provide financing alternatives for Chinese foreign direct investment used as a geopolitical tool;
To clarify the "highly inappropriate" relations between some European political parties and Russia;
A ban on foreign funding of European political parties should be introduced;
Urgently improve cybersecurity, classify and register surveillance software like Pegasus as illegal, and ban its use; and
Make it more difficult for foreign actors to immediately recruit former senior politicians after they have left their jobs.
The committee approved the report with 25 votes in favor, eight against and one abstention.
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“Our investigations have provided deeply disturbing evidence of how malign foreign actors attack our democracies in every conceivable sphere and area of society. Even more disturbing is the realization that not only legislators, but all of our societies lack mainstream awareness, and our public debates, legislation, and individual engagement are not at the levels necessary to effectively counter foreign interference. Urgent measures are needed to address critical gaps: to hold online platforms to account and ensure the transparency of their algorithms, to regulate the data market, to strengthen civil society and independent media, and to enable informed individual responsibility through education, training, and media literacy programs.”, said Rapporteur Sandra Kalniete (EPP, LV).
“After more than a year of work, the report highlights the level of attacks and threats facing the EU. Hostile foreign actors have declared a hybrid war against the Union and its Member States. The report makes a number of important recommendations to protect democracies and guarantee European sovereignty. We call on the Commission and the Council to implement them without delay.”, said chairman Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D, FR).
Wallpapers
The Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation (INGE) was established in June 2020. After around 50 hearings with around 130 experts, the committee's one and a half year mandate ends at the end of March.