Renew Europe will fight for a Democracy Shield with teeth
The European Commission’s announcement of the EU Democracy Shield is a welcomed step we have long campaigned for. We now call for far more ambitious legislative action to safeguard democracy and information integrity across the Union and in candidate countries. It is time for words to be translated into enforceable measures that ensure a coordinated and credible response to the growing threats to democracy.
Renew Europe reiterates its call for decisive measures to:
- Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference through strategic and coordinated efforts;
- Enforce the EU digital rulebook towards online platforms and their algorithms;
- Ensure citizens have access to reliable information and media literacy skills;
- Safeguard the integrity of electoral processes;
- Protect the EU’s democratic institutions from foreign interference and hybrid threats;
- Promote genuine media pluralism and a whole-of-society approach across the Union.
Nathalie Loiseau, Chair of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS), said:
In a geopolitical environment where foreign adversaries wage information warfare against European democracy, incremental responses leave citizens and institutions dangerously exposed. Renew Europe has long urged the Commission to take action, most recently in a letter to President von der Leyen earlier this week.
Helmut Brandstätter, Renew Europe Coordinator, EUDS, said:
Renew Europe will now work to strengthen the Commission’s proposal, ensuring that the EU Democracy Shield becomes a robust and enforceable framework that truly protects citizens, elections and free information across Europe. The Group urges the Commission to match Parliament’s resolve and bring forward binding legislation that builds real information resilience in Europe.
