Renew demands urgent Democracy Shield implementation

Renew Europe welcomes Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's announcement this morning in her State of the European Union address proposing the creation of a European Centre for Democratic Resilience. The group also welcomes her commitment to defending independent press through a new Media Resilience Programme supporting independent journalism and media literacy, with significantly boosted funding for media in the next budget.

However, Renew Europe emphasizes these announcements remain insufficient given the Commission's persistent delays in presenting a comprehensive communication on establishing a European Democracy Shield. With sophisticated foreign interference campaigns and hybrid attacks targeting EU electoral processes, the Commission must move beyond promises to concrete action.

The European Union faces a growing number of cyberattacks, social media manipulation, and disinformation campaigns that attempt to systematically undermine democratic foundations. These coordinated efforts exploit digital vulnerabilities to polarize public opinion and erode institutional trust across Member States.

The European Parliament has taken its responsibilities seriously and stands ready to act – the Special committee on the European Democracy Shield’s mandate has been extended to ensure continued momentum on this critical initiative. Now the Commission must match Parliament's commitment with decisive measures.

"Europe faces unprecedented threats and attacks on its values and democracy," said Nathalie Loiseau (Horizons, France), Chair of the Special committee on the European Democracy Shield. "While we welcome today's announcements by the President of the European Commission on media resilience and social media regulation, much more needs to be done. European Democracy is not for sale, and its regulations must be fully implemented and not become bargaining chips in any trade negotiations. We have been slow to act, we cannot wait any longer. The time is now, or else it will be too late."

"In these turbulent times for Europe, when our democracy is under attack from all sides, we must act quickly and decisively," added Helmut Brandstätter (NEOS, Austria), Renew coordinator for the Special committee on the European Democracy Shield. "The Democracy Shield initiative can provide the European Union with much-needed resilience. The European Parliament has done extensive work to create a productive framework for the initiative. Unfortunately, the Commission's continued delay stalls progress. The Commission must urgently fulfil its obligations and publish the communication promptly."