In his inaugural speech for his second term, he said: Ursula von der Leyen As one of its main initiatives, the European Parliament has been asked toshield of european democracyThis is to counter disinformation spread by Russia and amplified by major American digital platforms.
Von der Leyen considered improving tools for early detection of “infectious diseases” a priority. deep fake – fake images of politicians created with artificial intelligence – influenced elections across Europe.
A year later, the chairman presented the long-awaited democratic shield, but it was beyond the appeal of the slogan; Goodwill lists and repackaging existing effortsthere are few new concrete measures; There is no specific budget.
Still, von der Leyen insists the initiative will “strengthen the fundamental elements that allow citizens to act freely.” Living our shared democratic values every day: freedom of expression, independent media, resilient institutions and a dynamic civil society. ”
In designing this democratic shield, Brussels was cautious for fear of unleashing the wrath of the US president again. donald trumpthreatening to impose additional tariffs if the EU implements digital rules (digital services law and Digital Markets Act) to U.S. technology giants.
In fact, the Finnish vice-chairman of the committee responsible for technological sovereignty; henna virkunendeclined to say when it plans to approve sanctions against Elon Musk’s platform X, which has been under investigation for two years for spreading illegal content and disinformation.
“These are new laws and they are really needed.” Gather all the evidence before making a decision“Said Virkkunen at a press conference to present the Shield of Democracy.
Vice-President of the Committee in charge of Digital Sovereignty, Hena Virkunen, at a press conference this Wednesday
The truth is that leaders of large platforms, including Musk himself, They allied with Trump in this Congress to fight Europe’s digital law.
The Vice President was also asked about this matter. fake video Members of Viktor Orban’s government are said to be spreading the word about the opposition leader. Hungarian elections in April 2026but it also failed to identify any new measures beyond those already planned.
“Under the Digital Services Act, platforms have an obligation to constantly assess and mitigate the systemic risks they pose to the electoral process,” Virkunen said.
In this area, Democracy Shield only plans to “facilitate the development of tools to detect content generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence.”like deep fake person impersonating a politician– and identify new patterns of collaborative behavior within the network, from the use of bots to algorithmic amplification. ”
The committee will also provide guidance About the responsible use of AI in the electoral process and update Digital Services Act Election Toolkit.
But at the same time, von der Leyen’s team is expected to approve a series of proposals next week. Increase flexibility and delay adoption of pioneering regulations on artificial intelligencebowed to intense pressure from the platform and the Trump administration.
The most concrete measures of this plan are: European Center for Democratic Resilience, Whose purpose will it serve? Facilitate information exchange and support capacity building against common threats. Especially information manipulation, foreign interference, and disinformation.
However, the city of Brussels has not provided details about the staff, budget, location or launch deadline for the center. The center also voluntary participation Member States”.
Also announced were: Independent European network of fact checkerssimilarly Increase financial support for independent and local journalism; But again, no numbers or dates were given.
Finally, the European Commission said it would “support the creation of a voluntary network of influential people to raise awareness of influential EU rules, in particular regarding liability during political activities, and to facilitate the exchange of good practices.”
In addition, Brussels will “promote ethical standards and voluntary initiatives regarding information integrity and support government activities.” influencer In Promoting Digital Literacy”.
Russia and artificial intelligence
In its strategy, the Community Executive points to the Kremlin (virtually the only one, as China is not named) as primarily responsible for disinformation campaigns and interference in electoral processes in Europe. It explicitly mentions the last elections in Romania and Moldova.
“In addition to its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia is intensifying its hybrid attacks and waging a battle of influence against Europe. The tactics employed are deeply ingrained in our social fabric and may have long-lasting effects. By spreading misleading narratives, sometimes involving manipulation and falsification of historical facts, seeks to undermine confidence in democratic institutions” says Brussels.
These threats “do not occur in isolation but influence and reinforce other important challenges facing democracies today. These threats include: Rise of extremism and polarizationdeclining trust and public participation, electoral integrity, high public debate and threats to freedom of expression.
You need to add “” to this.Complete digital transformation” “New vulnerabilities have been highlighted and created in European societies.
“People’s opinions are increasingly conditioned by algorithmically personalized content. Reduced shared space for democratic debate (…) Moreover, advances in artificial intelligence could have significant implications for areas of democracy, including electoral processes,” the commission warns.
Von der Leyen’s “European shield of democracy” falls far short of the scale of the real challenge posed by Brussels.
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