European Parliament Establishes Special Committee to Combat Disinformation 'Shield of Democracy'

The European Parliament has approved the establishment of a special committee to counter foreign information manipulation and interference on the Internet - the European Shield of Democracy. The initiative, which aims to counteract information interference and fight disinformation, is part of the European Commission's policy guidelines for 2024-2029. The committee will start working next year. 

The decision to establish it at the plenary session in Strasbourg was supported by 441 deputies, 178 were against, and 34 abstained.

‘The ad hoc committee will be responsible for assessing existing legislation to identify possible loopholes, gaps and overlaps that could be used to maliciously interfere with democratic processes, establishing cooperation between Union and national authorities, and promoting democratic resilience through situational awareness, media and information literacy,’ the European Parliament's decision says.

The committee will also examine interference through online platforms and their impact on democratic processes, hybrid threats and attacks, and content created by artificial intelligence,

The Ad Hoc Committee on the European Democracy Shield will consist of 33 members and will have a 12-month term of office. The list of committee members will be determined by political groups and announced during the plenary week in late January.

Also, the day before, the European Parliament transformed the existing subcommittees on security and defence and health into full committees and created a committee on the current housing crisis in the EU.