Sittings · Document
On the findings and recommendations of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield
Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield · Rapporteur: Tomas Tobé
Parliament's resolution sets out the findings and recommendations of its Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield, responding to the Commission and High Representative joint communication of 12 November 2025.¶¶¶ It calls for a European Centre for Democratic Resilience with a clear legal mandate, budget, staff and governance, and for integrating existing EU counter-disinformation tools into it by the end of 2026.¶¶¶ It demands full enforcement of EU digital laws, action against platforms over recommender systems, Telegram's classification, covert AI disinformation and monetisation of disinformation, and resistance to US pressure on EU digital rulemaking.¶¶¶ It asks for stronger protection of media, journalists and civil society, more funding for democratic resilience in the 2028-2034 budget, and support for candidate and neighbourhood countries against foreign interference.¶¶¶ It calls for protection of critical infrastructure, criminal law tools against foreign interference, expanded sanctions, and EU-wide preparedness measures including a crisis-alert app and a preparedness day.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Special Committee welcomes the joint communication but finds its ambition insufficient and proposes a stronger framework: a legally established European Centre for Democratic Resilience, full enforcement of EU digital law, reinforced electoral and media protection, expanded sanctions, and preparedness measures.¶¶¶
Key points
- Welcomes the joint communication on the European Democracy Shield but says its measures do not match the scale of the threat and should be strengthened over time.¶
- Calls for a European Centre for Democratic Resilience with a legal act, clear mandate, dedicated budget and staff, governance including all Member States and Parliament, and regular reporting to Parliament.¶¶¶
- Sets the end of 2026 as the deadline for integrating the Rapid Alert System, a unified FIMI intelligence database, EUvsDisinfo, ECNE and the Commission's disinformation task force into the Centre.¶
- Calls for full enforcement of the DSA, DMA, TTPA, AI Act and EMFA, and for Commission investigations into platforms' recommender systems, including interim measures limiting engagement-based systems where they pose systemic risk.¶¶
- Condemns US sanctions and coercion against EU actors enforcing digital rules, calls for their immediate lifting, and says enforcement must be guided only by EU law.¶
- Calls for investigation of covert AI disinformation such as the 'Pravda' network, clarification of AI Act labelling obligations, and completion of Telegram's assessment for classification as a very large online platform.¶¶
- Calls for transparency in platform revenue-sharing and advertising, suspension of revenue-sharing with sanctioned entities, and action against monetisation of disinformation.¶
- Calls for swift implementation and enforcement of the EMFA, support for independent and local media, and measures against spyware and abusive lawsuits targeting journalists.¶¶¶
- Calls for sustainable funding for civil society, including through the CERV programme and the proposed AgoraEU programme, and for an operational Civil Society Platform by 2026.¶¶
- Calls for protection of critical infrastructure against sabotage, drone incursions and undersea cable damage, and for EU maritime security hubs in the Black Sea, North Sea and Baltic Sea.¶¶¶
- Calls for criminal law tools against foreign interference, an assessment of EU minimum rules on interference offences, and stronger mandates and resources for Europol, Eurojust, Frontex and the EPPO.¶¶¶
- Calls for expanded sanctions on enablers of disinformation, cyberattacks and election interference, and for preparedness measures including an EU crisis-alert app, a household booklet and a European Preparedness Day on 24 February.¶¶¶
Who is affected
- Very large online platforms and search engines: obligations on recommender systems, advertising transparency, revenue-sharing and risk mitigation.¶¶¶
- EU Member States: asked to fund election authorities, transpose NIS 2, implement EMFA and set up national FIMI response structures.¶¶¶
- Journalists and media organisations: measures on safety, anti-SLAPP implementation, spyware protection and advertising market fairness.¶¶¶
- Civil society organisations: calls for sustainable funding and participation in the Civil Society Platform and Knowledge Hub.¶¶
- Candidate and neighbourhood countries: capacity-building, media literacy in pre-accession aid and regional EDMO hubs.¶¶¶
Figures and deadlines
- EUR 9 billion: proposed budget of the AgoraEU programme for the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework.¶
- EUR 5.5 million: EU emergency funding approved for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.¶
- EUR 120 million: fine imposed on platform X for breaching DSA transparency obligations.¶
- EUR 2.95 billion: fine against Google for distorting competition in online advertising.¶
- 116 000 spam accounts blocked and 59 000 fake accounts removed by TikTok after Romania's 2024 elections.¶
- 1 481 press freedom violations documented in 2025, affecting 2 377 media-related persons or entities across 36 European countries.¶
- Up to 70 %: decline in traffic in one measured case correlating with the roll-out of Google AI-summaries.¶
- 72 hours: minimum period of self-sufficiency recommended in the proposed EU household preparedness booklet.¶
Legal basis: Article 2, Article 5, Article 10 and Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union; Article 114 and Article 222 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.¶¶
Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text and ¶ links to the paragraph it rests on. Check the text itself before relying on it.