Key recommendations 

• To effectively counter foreign interference, legislative and institutional frameworks must be reinforced. To this end, the EU must fully implement key legislation, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act and empower National Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs) to ensure consistent enforcement across Member States. 

• The EU must implement rapid response mechanisms and foster open dialogue with influential tech companies to address crises in real time. 

• The EU must improve consistency and streamline its various initiatives and legislation aimed at countering foreign interference. This is crucial for minimising fragmentation and enhancing much-needed effectiveness. 

• To uphold the integrity of democracy and EU law, digital platforms must be more transparent and accountable. Platforms should be required to explain their algorithmic processes, label political content, verify political and journalistic accounts, undergo independent audits, and implement a proportionate sanctions system. 

• Reducing foreign technological dependence should be a strategic priority for the EU. Strengthening Europe’s technological sovereignty and resilience will require increased, long-term investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and innovative digital start-ups.  

• Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) play a crucial role as democratic watchdogs and must be adequately supported. The EU should ensure increased and sustainable funding to empower them in fostering meaningful citizen dialogue and participation. 

• Promoting civic resilience through media literacy and inclusive participation is essential to rebuild trust in democratic institutions. The EU must therefore expand media and digital literacy initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns on disinformation, digital rights and responsible online behaviour. 

• The EU must urgently strengthen its support for independent journalism and media pluralism. This should include enacting protective legislation, increasing funding for investigative journalism and alternative platforms, and expanding fact-checking initiatives to combat disinformation. 

• To enhance democratic stability beyond EU borders, external cooperation must be strengthened. It is therefore vital to extend the protections of the European Democracy Shield to candidate countries and to intensify collaboration with partners such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the United Nations. 

Introduction 

Foreign interference through digital platforms is increasingly undermining the integrity of democratic processes across Europe. From disinformation campaigns orchestrated by third parties to coordinated cyber-attacks on institutions and electoral infrastructure, the threat is diverse and growing. Recent examples, such as the interference in the Romanian elections, highlight the serious dangers posed by these tactics — manipulating public opinion, undermining trust in democratic institutions and polarising political discourse. These actions aim to weaken European unity and democratic governance. 

To counter this growing threat, the EU must adopt a proactive, coordinated strategy. This includes enacting strong legislation, fostering institutional cooperation and improving surveillance capabilities. The EU must also strengthen its technological sovereignty by funding and supporting European AI and digital start-ups, which can maintain transparency and reduce dependence on dominant foreign platforms. 

This period of disruption is a unique moment for the EU. By turning challenges into opportunities for reform and resilience, Europe can emerge stronger. Through institutional renewal and greater citizen engagement, the EU can strengthen its democratic model and lead by example in defending and advancing its fundamental values.  

Strengthening the Institutional and Legislative Framework  

To tackle disinformation and foreign interference consistently it is key to implement existing legislation and develop a unified EU regulatory framework. To this end, the EU has adopted strong and decisive legislation such as the Digital Service Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), and the new Regulation on the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertisement.  

In order to ensure a streamlined and consistent implementation in all Member States, the National Digital Services Coordinator (DSC) has an important role to play. The DSC must be closely coordinated at EU level, empowered to be provided with the necessary tools and resources, and held accountable for the failure of implementation and enforcement. Additionally, the EU should complement its regulatory efforts by fostering open and constructive dialogue with influential tech companies, encouraging them to adopt voluntary measures that enhance and protect the integrity of democratic processes. 

At a time when digital transformation is proceeding at an unprecedented pace, regulation alone is no longer enough. The EU needs to put in place rapid response mechanisms to detect and address emerging threats in real time, especially during elections, crises or coordinated disinformation campaigns. This includes setting up crisis monitoring units, enabling real-time data sharing between platforms and authorities, and developing emergency protocols for rapid intervention.  

In addition to strengthening the legislative framework, it is essential to reinforce inter-institutional coordination in this field to ensure a comprehensive and strategic approach to the defence of European democracy. To this end, the Commission’s European Democracy Shield initiative should help to build strategic and operational links between relevant EU directorates, departments and agencies. This would ensure a clear division of responsibilities and effective sharing of information in countering foreign interference. 

In the light of recent electoral interference by third parties, such as in Romania, the EU needs to strengthen its framework for protecting elections. Institutions need a robust cybersecurity infrastructure and effective election observation mechanisms. Advanced tools, including AI, should be used to detect and prevent cyber-attacks in real time. The creation of expert cybersecurity groups, capable of responding quickly during elections, is essential. In this context, a stronger, more coordinated EU role in election observation is needed.  The lack of common standards undermines transparency in all Member States. While respecting national electoral systems, the EU should take greater responsibility for ensuring the integrity of elections by establishing a centralised EU Election Observation Body developed in partnership with national governments. This must be a collaborative effort that enhances democratic oversight without encroaching on national competences. 

Transparency and Accountability of Digital Platforms 

To uphold democratic integrity and EU law, transparency and accountability of digital platforms need to be strengthened. The EU has a key role to play as both regulator and enforcer, with instruments such as the DSA and the new Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising setting important precedents.  

Greater transparency in algorithmic systems is of great importance. Platforms must be required to explain —– in a clear and accessible way — how they prioritise, moderate and distribute content, especially when it influences public debates. The political advertising regulation rightly requires disclosure of funding sources and targeting criteria, but it should go further by requiring real-time labelling of political content and mandatory identity verification of political advertisers and influential journalistic accounts. True transparency in political advertising depends not only on disclosure, but also on clear, enforceable standards of accountability and verification. 

To prevent manipulation, platforms need to move from a reactive to a preventive stance. This includes establishing robust early warning mechanisms to detect and mitigate disinformation campaigns. The rise of AI-generated content adds an additional layer of complexity, requiring a standardised EU-wide labelling system — as foreseen in the AI Act — to prevent information manipulation and ensure public trust. Accountability must be ensured through regular, independent audits of platforms’ practices regarding content moderation, political advertising and disinformation control. These audits should be supported by public oversight, access to relevant platform data and an effective and proportionate system of sanctions.  

In parallel, the EU must strengthen its digital and technological sovereignty through a stronger industrial policy that funds and supports the growth of European AI and digital start-ups, including the development of AI hubs that foster innovation. This is not only key to economic resilience, but also to ensuring that the platforms that shape democratic discourse reflect European values of transparency and accountability. 

Supporting Civil Society Organisations 

The defence of democracy and the fundamental values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) must go hand in hand with a pluralistic civil society. To this end, it is essential to foster an enabling environment where civil society can operate freely, mobilise citizens, and make its voice heard effectively. Their deep understanding of the social landscape, their ability to raise public awareness and their crucial advocacy for balanced and meaningful regulation, as foreseen in Article 11 TEU, make civil society organisations indispensable. They play a crucial role in building trust in democratic processes through meaningful representation, which is essential for safeguarding democracy. 

An effective strategy to counter foreign interference requires structured and sustained cooperation between governments, digital platforms, and civil society. To ensure this, the role of organised civil society as a watchdogs must be actively reinforced. Excessive bureaucratic hurdles and fabricated narratives designed to discredit their work and legitimacy undermine their capacity to act, divert resources weaken civil society and ultimately undermine democratic resilience itself.  

To this end the European Democracy Shield needs to reaffirm the legitimacy of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and their essential role for democratic integrity. It must promote an inclusive, transparent, and participatory dialogue, through active citizen involvement and representation. Furthermore, ensuring stable, adequate and transparent funding is critical to empowering civil society organisations to fully exercise their democratic responsibilities. In particular, we should advocate for EU funding dedicated to promoting European values online. This funding should focus on strengthening media literacy, critical thinking and civic education, including through the work of civil society organisations. This would reinforce local initiatives and bolster democratic resilience throughout the Union.  

Building Civic Resilience through Media Literacy and Democratic Trust 

Strengthening the democratic resilience of European citizens relies heavily on enhancing their critical skills to navigate the growing information challenges in the digital environment. Media and digital literacy play a central role in this effort. To empower citizens in the face of these threats, the EU must therefore expand media and digital literacy initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns on disinformation, digital rights and responsible online behaviour. These efforts will require significantly increased financial resources to ensure that such programmes are accessible, sustainable and effective in all Member States. Education must also include a critical understanding of freedom of expression and its limits to promote a respectful and pluralistic digital environment. Crucially, we must also work closely with local governments, providing them with the necessary capacity-building and tools to effectively support and deliver these initiatives on the ground. 

Protecting vulnerable groups, such as young people and less-educated constituencies, must be a core priority of the European Democracy Shield initiative. This requires culturally sensitive outreach, targeted support and equal access to effective content moderation in all European languages. Addressing current disparities is essential to ensure fair protection against misinformation and disinformation. In addition, mapping the regions within the EU that are most vulnerable to external interference and authoritarian influence — such as those with limited media access, lower digital literacy or socio-economic marginalisation — is essential for developing a targeted and effective strategy for democratic resilience. 

This social dimension is inextricably linked to the broader challenge of restoring public trust in institutions. The growing distance between decision-making processes and the citizens they are supposed to serve for has fuelled widespread mistrust and encouraged a worrisome and growing movement towards populist parties and the margins of the democratic spectrum. To reverse this trend, democratic governance needs to be renewed by evaluating existing practices and implementing and funding new practices and technologies that focus on active citizen participation and inclusion. The European Commission must step up its efforts to ensure that these platforms are accessible and reflect the diversity of voices in society, with particular attention to marginalised groups. Most importantly, citizens’ input must be effectively incorporated into decision-making and democratic consultations in a transparent and understandable way. 

Strengthening Independent Journalism and Media Pluralism 

Media freedom and pluralism are at the heart of democracy. A healthy media environment – supporting pluralism, investigative journalism and fact-based reporting – helps to reduce polarisation and limits manipulation. Independent media are crucial in countering disinformation. However, the media sector is facing an ongoing crisis. Digital platforms dominate advertising and data, while some governments seek to silence or restrict the press. These twin pressures undermine independent journalism, weaken resilience to disinformation and threaten access to reliable information. 

In these circumstances, the EU urgently needs to strengthen its structural support for free journalism and promote its long-term sustainability. A key step is the enforcement of the ANTI-SLAPP Directive and the Whistleblower Protection Directive. The ANTI-SLAPP Directive aims to protect journalists and human rights defenders from abusive lawsuits aimed at silencing critical voices. By allowing for the swift dismissal of unfounded claims and criminalising abuse of the legal system, the directive strengthens media freedom and the rule of law. The EU Whistleblower Protection Directive protects individuals who report breaches of EU law by providing strong safeguards against retaliation. It fosters transparency and accountability by ensuring confidential reporting and proper follow-up, creating safer conditions for whistleblowers and supporting investigative journalism. 

However, broader support – including financial support, digital security measures and protection of media pluralism – remains essential to ensure the future of independent journalism in Europe. To counter the dominance of tech giants and support independent and local journalism, the EU must take decisive action to regulate the advertising market and reform the economic model of journalism. This includes providing funding, lowering barriers to entry and actively promoting investigative journalism, while developing alternatives to existing digital platforms and increasing support for fact-checking organisations and tools. In addition, the EU should support initiatives such as the European Digital Media Organisation (EDMO) hubs and ensure the effective implementation and strong enforcement of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) in all Member States. 

Enhancing the EU’s Democratic Resilience Through External Cooperation 

Foreign interference knows no borders and is a transnational threat that requires a coordinated international response. The European Union cannot face it in isolation; its information space is deeply interconnected with its neighbourhood regions. The EU must therefore take into account both the internal and external dimension. Strengthening the democratic resilience of neighbouring countries – such as Moldova and Georgia – directly enhances the EU’s own stability and security. Extending the protections of the European Democracy Shield to candidate countries should constitute a concrete sign of commitment to enlargement, particularly relevant in the Western Balkans, where scepticism is growing. Knowledge sharing and intelligence cooperation with pro-democracy actors outside the EU should be seen as a strategic imperative.   

To be effective, the EU must strengthen its international cooperation, not only within its immediate neighbourhood, but also through deeper engagement with global partners such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United Nations (UN). In a context where multilateral institutions are under increasing strain, it is vital to improve their governance and legitimacy, and to seek to strengthen other strategic alliances. It is essential to act simultaneously at the local, national and international levels, promoting democratic norms and understanding that external choices have a direct impact on the internal resilience of our democracies. 

Conclusion 

Safeguarding democracy in the digital age requires more than reactive measures — it demands an integrated and forward-looking approach rooted in transparency, inclusivity, and resilience. By reinforcing legislative frameworks, empowering civil society, enhancing media literacy, and ensuring the sustainability of independent journalism, the EU can reclaim control over its information space and restore public trust. Moreover, strengthening cooperation with international allies will fortify a collective front against foreign interference. In this way, these challenges can serve as a catalyst for the EU to foster a safer, more informed, and more participatory democratic future for all its citizens.