12 EU nations call on European Commission to protect elections from foreign interference

France, Germany, and 10 other EU countries want the European Commission to use its powers under the Digital Services Act to protect the integrity of European elections from foreign interference.

This is stated in a letter signed by 12 countries, which was reviewed by Reuters.

Letter to European Commission

In the letter, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain asked the European Commission to fulfill its promise to create a special EU body to counter foreign disinformation, manipulations and interference.

“The escalating threats of foreign interference and disruptive interventions in public debates during key electoral events represent a direct challenge to our stability and sovereignty,” the letter says, according to Reuters.

“The recent incidents require urgent and united action to safeguard future EU elections,” the ministers said.

Top EU diplomats said that the letter refers to interference mainly from Russia and China, but also to other cases.

German elections in crosshairs of information war

Germany will hold early elections on February 23 and has set up a special group to counter any attempts by foreign powers to influence the results of the vote after warnings of Russian-funded espionage and sabotage.

In January, Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, spoke at a campaign event of the far-right Alternative for Germany for the second time in as many weeks to support the party.

Musk also broadcasted a conversion with the AfD leader Alice Weidel. This event mobilized anti-EU and pro-Russian propaganda resources and amplified their narratives.

Also, as Germany heads for general elections, its security services warned that Russia and its backers may step up meddling and disinformation to boost radical parties and sow discord about the democratic process.

Berlin shared fears that the February 23 elections will also be a target for pro-Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns, media reported.

German media investigations have pointed to Kremlin-linked campaigns to support the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and boost the Russia-friendly views of the far-left Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW).

As the campaign gathers pace, Germany’s interior ministry has set up a task force to take “the necessary protection measures” against any disinformation, sabotage, espionage, and cyberattacks.

Polish elections: Russian operation thwarted

In December, the European Commission opened proceedings against the social media company TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, on suspicion that it did not limit election interference during the Romanian presidential election in November.

Officials in Poland, which will hold presidential elections in May, warned that Russia is recruiting people for covert operations to influence the elections.

Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski explained that it was about “spreading disinformation, false information” and “recruiting people to be content creators in order to destroy the cohesion of the political scene in Poland.”

Disinformation campaigns targeting 2024 European elections

The 2024 European Parliament elections, held during deep security, migration, and institutional challenges, provided fertile ground for foreign influence attempts, particularly from Russia.

According to a recent study and multiple reports from the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), these actors have been capitalizing on societal rifts to influence voters and steer them toward supporting populist and far-right candidates.

These campaigns, orchestrated through state-controlled media and covert operations, have aimed to destabilize democratic processes and foster the rise of far-right and populist movements across the continent. 

In June, the EU accused Russia of election interference, citing tactics like deep fakes and fake websites imitating prominent European outlets. Moscow’s disinformation has evolved, focusing on tailored narratives to exploit societal divisions and influence voters.

Russian propaganda media banned

Russian-affiliated media outlets, such as RT and Sputnik, and newer platforms like Voice of Europe, have been central players in this disinformation ecosystem. 

Both RT and Sputnik have faced sanctions from several countries in response to their activities for disseminating disinformation. The EU sanctioned RT and Sputnik in March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for their support of Russia’s war and spread of Kremlin disinformation. 

How RT and Sputnik continue their operations, produce Kremlin-style news content, and publish it on new domains (which are not banned), creating clones of their websites in different languages. For example, we have revealed several clones of the German edition of RT (de.rt.com).

In May 2024, one month before the European Parliament elections, the EU introduced sanctions against the Russian news websites Ria.ru, Rg.ru, and Iz.ru, which produce content in Russian and have significant Russian-speaking audience in the EU countries.

Read more: How Russia pushed far-right and anti-Ukraine agenda during European Elections

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