Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union institutions are playing their role in defending the European elections from June 6 to 9 against misinformation and manipulation of information targeting European democracy. According to a statement issued by the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels, it also stated that the European elections are a milestone for European democracy. As documented for example and according to the European Digital Media Observatory, disinformation actors from inside and outside the EU seek to undermine the integrity of the electoral process, trust in democratic processes more generally, and sow division and polarization in our societies.
According to the Eurobarometer, 81% of EU citizens agree that news or information that distorts reality or is false represents a problem for democracy.
Attempts to mislead citizens
Institutions, authorities, civil society actors and fact-checkers such as the European Digital Media Observatory, the European Fact-Checking Standards Network and EUvsDisinfo have detected numerous attempts to mislead voters with manipulated information in recent months.
Disinformation actors have spread false information about how to vote, discouraged citizens from voting, or sought to sow division and polarization before voting by appropriating high-profile or controversial topics. Sometimes these attempts at deception consist of flooding the information space with an abundance of false and misleading information, all with the aim of hijacking public debate. Often senior politicians and leaders are targeted through information manipulation campaigns. Several European policies are often targets of disinformation: support for Ukraine, the European Green Deal, and immigration.
Disinformation actors have also used networks of fake accounts as well as fake or impersonated media to manipulate the information environment. Recent findings by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and national authorities in EU Member States include false front operations, Portal Kombat and Doppelgänger operations.
A recently released “Operation Overload” investigative report by Finnish software company Check First documented how suspicious accounts contacted more than 800 fact-checkers and media outlets in more than 75 countries – to overwhelm them with false information, drain their resources, and try to convince them. Spread this false information by debunking articles.
EU institutions: Increase efforts to protect the European Union from information manipulation
Although the threats exist, so do the EU's collective responses. Based on a clear mandate from the political leadership, the EU institutions have been addressing the challenge arising from the manipulation and interference of foreign information, including disinformation, for years.
These efforts take place in close cooperation and coordination between institutions and with the participation of a wide range of other stakeholders, such as EU Member States, the media, fact-checkers and civil society, in order to exchange ideas and exchange experiences and best practices. and coordinating responses
Being at the global forefront in addressing threats related to foreign information manipulation and interference, the EU works in close cooperation with like-minded partners outside the EU via forums such as the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism, among others. To increase resilience to external interference attempts, the EU has developed a dedicated toolkit to counter foreign information manipulation and interference, including a range of tools ranging from situational awareness and resilience building to legislation and diplomatic tools. All these efforts are always carried out in full respect for fundamental European values, such as freedom of expression and freedom of opinion.
Our comprehensive response to misinformation revolves around the following core elements:
Develop policies to strengthen our democracies, make it more difficult for disinformation actors to abuse online platforms, and protect journalists and media pluralism;
Raise awareness of disinformation and our preparedness and response; Build societal resilience against disinformation through media literacy and fact-checking; Collaborate with other institutions, national authorities or third parties.
The EU institutions are promoting several activities, including awareness-raising campaigns and media literacy initiatives, to increase society's resilience against disinformation and information manipulation. Examples include:
The official European Elections website with a section on “Free and Fair Elections”;
A series of videos released by the European Parliament (in 24 official EU languages) to inform the public about the techniques used by disinformation actors to deceive people;
A publication from the European Parliament containing 10 tips on how to tackle disinformation; a toolkit for educators from the European Commission on how to spot and combat disinformation;A joint campaign between the Commission and the Group of European Regulators of Audiovisual Media Services with a video shown on social media and broadcast across the EU, to raise awareness of the dangers of disinformation and manipulation of information ahead of the European elections;
A dedicated series of articles and insights on foreign information manipulation and interference in the EEAS's .EUvsDisinfo.

New EU legislation in place
In this mandate, participating lawmakers adopted important legislation, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Artificial Intelligence Act, and the Transparency and Targeting of Political Ads Act. During the last mandate, the European Parliament's Special Committee on Foreign Interference in All Democratic Processes in the European Union, Including Disinformation (and its successors) also highlighted the issue of foreign interference, including disinformation, and recommended that the whole of society play a role and Its side, also through non-legislative measures, to address it.
The Data Protection Act (DSA) requires platforms to assess and mitigate risks related to protecting electoral processes, such as misinformation, including through AI-generated content. The DSA is already fully applicable and is being implemented by the Commission in relation to so-called “very large online platforms” (i.e. those reaching at least 45 million users in the EU or 10% of the EU population). In this context, the Commission has already initiated proceedings against X and Meta – for both Instagram and Facebook – over possible violations of the Digital Services Law related to electoral integrity. On the preventive side, in March 2024 the Commission adopted election guidelines, recalling the procedures that platforms must adopt to ensure compliance. In April 2024, the Commission also organized a voluntary stress test with these designated platforms, civil society and national authorities. The Commission holds an ongoing dialogue with platforms to ensure effective implementation and compliance with the DSA.