Parliament’s Special Committee on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the EU including disinformation finalises 18 months of work by adopting recommendations on how to make the EU more resistant to foreign interference. Raphaël GLUCKSMANN (S&D,FR), INGE Chair, debriefs on the conclusion of the committee's work.

Brussels

statement

common security and defence policy (T)

fight against hate speech, populism, and fake news on social media (T)

GLUCKSMANN, Raphaël (S&D, FR)

Special committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation

Outcome of the Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation (INGE), statement by Raphaël GLUCKSMANN (S&D,FR), INGE Chair

SOUNDBITE (English), Rapha&#235;l GLUCKSMANN (S&amp;D, FR), INGE Chair, What we found out is that we are actually not anymore at peace and not still at war, but we are in a in-between kind of hybrid warfare in which foreign actors are actually directly interfering into our democratic life through various methods, with elite capture interference in the election campaigns, financing of political groups and think tanks of civil society organisations or direct cyberattacks against our institutions. So it's a wide range of threats that we are confronted with, and what we have done is lift th e threat, lift the actors that are hostile and also lift the enablers also inside the EU, which are helping foreign actors to destabilise our institutions and then make recommendations, very clear recommendations for the executive powers in Europe so that we are more defending and our democracies are better defended.

SOUNDBITE (English), Rapha&euml;l GLUCKSMANN (S&amp;D, FR), INGE Chair, First, for instance, when it comes to cyber attacks against our institutions. We have a very weak as it stands now, very weak deterrence system. For instance, if you are a group of hackers in St Petersbourg working for the Russian secret services or Russian state and you attack hospitals in Ireland or institutions in Belgium, then the price you pay is very low. So what we have worked on is a system of sanctions that will be much more deterring. Another example you have the platforms that are actually now enabling these foreign interferences, and we have to be much tougher with these enablers like the big social platforms.

SOUNDBITE (English), Rapha&euml;l GLUCKSMANN (S&amp;D, FR), INGE Chair, Another example you have the platforms that are actually now enabling these foreign interferences, and we have to be much tougher with these enablers like the big social platforms. Another example, for instance, you have people who are actually serving in the European states, member states or the European institutions. And once their mandate is over and then they go to work for Huawei as a Chinese company or for Gazprom, and they bring with them all the state secrets, all of the knowledge, all the networks that they built when they were serving European state interests. And this has to stop. We have to have a harmoniised legislation across Europe, making sure that you have a time between the end of your office and then you going to work for a problematic foreign interests.

SOUNDBITE (English), Rapha&euml;l GLUCKSMANN (S&amp;D, FR), INGE Chair, What we have to understand is that it's not the same to go to work for a Norwegian factory or to go to work after your office for a big Chinese company that is obliged by Chinese law to be under the rule and serving the interests of the Chinese Communist Party or to go to work for Gazprom.

SOUNDBITE (English), Rapha&euml;l GLUCKSMANN (S&amp;D, FR), INGE Chair, You come to a hostile foreign interest and you give them everything that you have received from our democracies. This for me, it amounts to treason.

SOUNDBITE (English), Rapha&euml;l GLUCKSMANN (S&amp;D, FR), INGE Chair, (On interference in European elections) What we have to do is to harmonise our election surveillance system and our electoral laws inside the European space. And basically, there is a problem of election, but there is also the problem of campaigning and of the atmosphere in public debates ahead of elections. So our recommendations are focussing on both. And if we want to make our democracy more resilient and more immune to foreign interference, then we have to start implementing now our recommendations. That's why we call on the French presidency of the council to actually follow up very quickly.

Atmosphere shots at the meeting and Rapha&euml;l GLUCKSMANN (S&amp;D, FR), INGE Chair presiding the meeting, 7 shots

Glucksmann announcing the opening of the vote