Foreign

THE European Parliament has called for a coordinated strategy to protect against foreign interference ahead of the 2024 European elections.

Foreign interference, disinformation, and attacks on democracy were likely to increase and become more sophisticated in the run-up to the June elections, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) said.

The warning came in a report adopted by plenary 469 votes for and 71 against, in Brussels.

In the report, MEPs highlighted interference on online platforms, and the protection of critical infrastructure and strategic sectors as concerns.

Interference during electoral processes, covert funding of political activities by foreign actors and resilience to cyberattacks were also identified as threats.

The report focused particularly on Russian and Chinese interference in the EU, in countries applying to join the EU, including the Western Balkans, and countries in the Global South.

The report called for a ban on the social media platform TikTok at all levels of national government and in the EU institutions.

It also recommended a ban on equipment and software from manufacturers from high-risk countries, particularly China and Russia.

Parliament wanted a coordinated EU strategy to and called for adequate funding to tackle disinformation and uphold democratic processes.

Rapporteur Sandra Kalniete said foreign interference in democratic processes was a growing threat to security.

“We must act urgently and implement our recommendations quickly.

“Significant and lasting investment must be made in our democratic resilience, drawing on the experience of our partners like Ukraine and Taiwan.” (dpa/NAN) 

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Tags: EU Parliament