The EU is likely to remain "toothless" against politicians, governments or public institutions in member states that spread disinformation.
"The problem is, what if the government spreads fake news in whole or in part," Latvian MEP Sandra Kalniete, a key lawmaker in the fight against disinformation in the European Parliament, told a group of journalists.
The MEP said that the main thing the EU can do "is to show that this is fake news, or that it goes beyond reality and objective facts."
"But what else, I would be hesitant to propose, because it is a completely new situation," she said, adding that it relates to national competences - so the EU has little room for manoeuvre.
Poland and Hungary have been under EU scrutiny over concerns over the rule of law and judicial independence, and experts have also pointed to Hungarian public institutions spreading disinformation.
The 68-year-old center-right MEP has drafted a report that includes recommendations for the EU Commission and member states that have legislative loopholes that need to be closed to combat foreign interference in the EU.
It was drafted by the special committee dealing with foreign interference.
This report includes proposals to make all types of political party contributions from outside the EU illegal in every member state, protect critical infrastructure, tackle “elite capture” in EU countries, support independent journalism, and increase Mandarin language proficiency in the service of creating counter-disinformation units.
The draft report also stressed that raising awareness was essential in member states and EU institutions about malign foreign influence.
"Russia, China and other authoritarian regimes have poured more than $300 million [259 million euros] into 33 countries to interfere in democratic processes," the draft said.
Asked what the red line is when foreign influence efforts actually bear fruit and change European political processes, Kalniete said it was difficult to define a single benchmark.
"This is not entirely possible to express in legal language," she said.
"There is only one ultimately safe remedy, which takes time, which is building resilience in society," she said.
Kalniete said it was very important for the EU to find ways to support quality journalism. Another key tool, she said, was education which “can provide not only facts but also skills for media literacy and not to be naive and fall for any disinformation.”
(full article in English, published by euobserver.com)