Wed. Feb 12th, 2025

Burssels, 3 February 2025

On Monday, the new special Committee on the European Democracy Shield elected Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, FR) as its Chair, together with four Vice-Chairs.

The MEPs of the European Democracy Shield (EUDS) special committee elected the following members to the committee’s decision-making bureau, for the duration of the special committee’s 12-month mandate:

Quote

Following her election as Chair, Nathalie Loiseau said:

“Democracy is our most precious treasure. Today, European democracies are under attack. I am humbled and honoured to be elected as Chair of the European Parliament special Committee on the European Democracy Shield. We will work hard to reveal those attacking our democracies and to put forward the right response.”

Vote results

The Committee bureau was elected as follows.

Chair

  • Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, FR) 25 votes
  • António Tânger Corrêa (PfE, Portugal) 8 votes

First Vice-Chair

  • Csaba Molnár (S&D, HU) 21 votes
  • Fidias Panayiotou (NI, CY) 11 votes

electronic secret ballot

Second Vice-Chair

  • Sandra Kalniete (EPP, LV), by acclamation

Third Vice-Chair

  • Stefano Cavadegna (ECR, IT), by acclamation

Fourth Vice-Chair

  • Vasile Dîncu (S&D, RO), by acclamation

Watch a recording of the meeting on Parliament’s Multimedia Centre.

The EUDS mission

Parliament voted on 18 December 2024 to set up a new special Committee on the European Democracy Shield. The committee will assess, existing and planned EU legislation and measures in the light of potential malicious interference in democratic processes, including in view of the upcoming European Democracy Shield included in the Commission’s 2024-2029 political guidelines. It will propose tangible solutions to strengthen EU resilience to hybrid threats and attacks and to improve the Union’s legal and institutional framework. Additionally, EUDS will examine the activities of the Commission and European External Action Service in combatting foreign information manipulation and interference.

The work of the special committee will focus on interference via online platforms and their impact on democracy; attacks on critical infrastructure; cyberattacks; AI-generated content and deep fakes aimed at foreign interference and information manipulation; home-grown hybrid threats, as well as the role of malicious state or non-state actors, among other issues.

The EUDS special committee has a 12-month mandate and comprises 33 members. It may present a mid-term report to Parliament and will submit a final report on its findings and recommendations.


Renew Europe at the forefront of protecting European democracy

Brussels, 3 February 2025

Renew Europe welcomes the election of Nathalie Loiseau (Horizons, France) as Chair of the new Special Committee on the European Shield for Democracy.

The creation of this special committee marks a decisive step in the fight against foreign interference that threatens our democratic processes.

Facing increasing attacks on our democracies – from hybrid attacks and disinformation campaigns originating in Russia, to Elon Musk’s interference in the German elections, to the manipulation of public opinion during the Moldovan referendum on the EU – Renew Europe is taking its responsibilities to protect the integrity of our democratic institutions.

This initiative is part of our group’s vision for a more resilient European Union, capable of defending its democratic values in the face of external threats, whether from Russia, China or the United States.

According to Nathalie Loiseau, Europe has entered a new era of interference. The committee will have to conduct a full and rigorous investigation to identify the malicious actors and their new methods of attack, particularly via encrypted messaging and artificial intelligence.

The special committee will have three main objectives:

  • Evaluate the effectiveness of existing European mechanisms, in particular the application of the Digital Services Act (DSA) to digital platforms.
  • Increasing the transparency of non-governmental organisations operating in the European sphere.
  • Develop media literacy among European citizens, drawing on international best practice.

The committee’s mandate calls for it to present its final report in early 2026.

Newly elected chair of the EUDS special committee, Renew MEP Nathalie Loiseau (Horizons, France) said: ‘Democracy is our most precious treasure. Today, European democracies are under attack. It is with humility and honour that I have been elected chair of the European Parliament’s special committee on the European democratic shield. We will work hard to shine the spotlight on the attackers and propose appropriate responses.”

Source – Renew Europe (by e-mail)

 

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