The European Parliament debated this Tuesday the creation of a European Center for Democratic Resilience to combat disinformation campaigns and foreign interference in democratic acts, such as elections. The report supporting this proposal was prepared by the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield and aims to strengthen the EU's resilience against foreign interference, information manipulation and hybrid threats.
The document identifies Russia as the main external threat to the integrity of European democracies, pointing to the continuous use of disinformation campaigns and attacks on critical infrastructure through sabotage or espionage. Beyond Russia, Belarus, China, Iran and North Korea are also referred to as countries aiming to destabilize the EU.
Swedish MEP Tomás Tobé, the rapporteur of the report, stated that "Russia is trying to weaken Europe" through the use of drone factories and networks and massive investments to destabilize European societies. Tobé underlined that "foreign interference is not freedom of expression" and warned of the existence of political forces within Europe, namely parts of the far-right, that are facilitating the work of enemies.
According to the special committee, the democratic resilience center should have its own budget for action and be governed by all EU Member States.
