On countering transnational repression – towards an EU strategy to protect Europe’s sovereignty and democratic values

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

on countering transnational repression – towards an EU strategy to protect Europe’s sovereignty and democratic values

(2025/2179(INI))

– having regard to the founding values of the European Union of human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights,

– having regard to the increasing acts of transnational repression, and to the responsibility of Member States to protect all people residing within their territory,

– having regard to the Treaty on European Union, in particular Articles 3 and 21 thereof,

– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

– having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in particular Articles 83 and 215 thereof,

– having regard to the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) of 1998,

– having regard to the UN Human Rights Council resolutions of 4 April 2025 entitled ‘Human rights defenders and new and emerging technologies: protecting human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, in the digital age’ and of 1 July 2025 entitled ‘Civil society space’,

– having regard to the brief of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on transnational repression, published on 18 June 2025,

– having regard to the ‘Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ Framework’ endorsed in UN Human Rights Council Resolution 17/4 of 16 June 2011,

– having regard to the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, adopted in June 2004 and updated in 2008, and to its resolution of 16 March 2023 on the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 27 January 2025 on EU Priorities in UN Human Rights Fora in 2025,

– having regard to the EU action plan on human rights and democracy 2020-2024, extended until 2027,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act),

– having regard to Directive (EU) 2024/1760 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on corporate sustainability due diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and Regulation (EU) 2023/2859,

– having regard to the 2024 EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 12 November 2025 entitled ‘EU Strategy for Civil Society’ (COM(2025)0790),

– having regard to its recommendation of 15 June 2023 to the Council and the Commission following the investigation of alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application of Union law in relation to the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware,

– having regard to the joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 12 November 2025 entitled ‘European Democracy Shield: Empowering Strong and Resilient Democracies’ (JOIN(2025)0791),

– having regard to the joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 5 June 2025 entitled ‘An International Digital Strategy for the European Union’ (JOIN(2025)0140),

– having regard to its resolution of 13 November 2025 on addressing transnational repression of human rights defenders,

– having regard to its resolution of 22 October 2025 on the situation in Belarus, five years after the fraudulent presidential elections,

– having regard to the G7 Leaders’ statement on transnational repression of 17 June 2025 and the G7 multistakeholder dialogue on transnational repression held in February 2025,

– having regard to the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting communiqué of 19 April 2024 on ‘addressing global challenges, fostering partnerships’,

– having regard to Resolution 2509 (2023) and Recommendation 2257 (2023) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe entitled ‘Transnational repression as a growing threat to the rule of law and human rights’,

– having regard to the study of its Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union of June 2025 entitled ‘Transnational repression of human rights defenders: The impacts on civic space and the responsibility of host states’,

– having regard to the study of its Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union of January 2026 entitled ‘Perpetrators and methods of transnational repression and possible counter-strategies’,

– having regard to the Seventh Report of Session 2024-25 of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, entitled ‘Transnational repression in the UK’,

– having regard to the annual report published by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior in June 2025 entitled ‘Verfassungsschutzbericht 2024’,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A10-0000/2025),

A. whereas transnational repression (TNR) is a deliberate practice whereby states or their proxies reach beyond their borders to intimidate, silence, coerce or harm individuals or groups residing abroad, thus undermining fundamental human rights, democratic participation, the rule of law and the sovereignty of host states;

Establishing a common EU understanding of TNR

1. Considers TNR to constitute a serious human rights violation, and a form of foreign interference and, in certain cases, a type of hybrid threat, undermining democratic governance, the rule of law, fundamental rights and the sovereignty and security of host states;

2. Calls on the Commission, the Council and Member States to adopt a common EU definition of TNR based on the definition set out in this report;

3. Defines TNR as deliberate acts or threats carried out by states, including repressive or authoritarian governments and their proxies, to advance their interests by reaching across borders to intimidate, silence, coerce or harm individuals or groups living abroad;

4. Notes that targets of TNR include dissidents, political opponents, academics, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, and their support networks as well as their family members;

5. Underlines that TNR encompasses a wide range of tactics, including:

(1) physical TNR;

(2) legal and administrative abuse;

(3) non-physical coercive methods;

Strengthening EU coordination, data collection and institutional response

6. Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to establish an EU data collection, monitoring and reporting mechanism for TNR;

7. Underlines the essential role civil society plays in documenting the most hidden forms of TNR;

8. Stresses that underreporting is structural; therefore, calls for reporting channels that are accessible and trauma-informed, and guarantee victim confidentiality and safety;

9. Calls on the Member States to provide specialised training for relevant authorities and to establish dedicated reporting channels and rapid response mechanisms for victims and civil society organisations;

10. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to set up a network of national contact points on TNR to facilitate regular exchanges of experiences and good practices;

11. Calls on the Council to appoint a coordinator for countering TNR;

12. Calls on the Commission, in close cooperation with the EEAS, to adopt a whole-of-EU approach ensuring coordination and information sharing;

Strengthening protection and support for persons targeted by TNR

13. Calls for a comprehensive, victim-centred approach to TNR;

14. Calls on the Member States to recognise psychosocial harm as an integral feature of TNR;

15. Calls on the Member States to recognise lawfare as a form of TNR and to ensure access to effective, proportionate and enforceable remedies;

16. Calls on law-enforcement and security authorities to establish sustained outreach and trusted communication channels with communities affected by TNR;

17. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to adopt gender-sensitive protection measures for women affected by TNR;

18. Calls on the EEAS to update the EU action plan on human rights and democracy and the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders to explicitly address TNR;

Preventing and responding to specific forms of TNR

Physical TNR

19. Calls for an EU framework to be established to address the cross-border nature of physical TNR;

Digital and technology-enabled TNR

20. Calls for the EU and its Member States to recognise, prevent and counter digital forms of TNR including their gendered dimension;

21. Calls for strong and consistent enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA);

22. Calls for digital TNR to be explicitly incorporated within the scope of ‘systemic risks’ under the DSA;

23. Expresses deep concern about the use of spyware and surveillance technologies by third countries and their proxies;

Coercion by proxy and family-based repression

24. Recognises reprisals against family members of exiled individuals as a form of TNR;

25. Calls on the Member States to use family reunification and other protective pathways to reduce exposure to coercion by proxy;

Addressing structures that enable TNR

26. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to identify, assess and mitigate vulnerabilities in administrative, legal and financial systems that may be exploited for TNR;

Abuse of international cooperation mechanisms

27. Calls on the Member States to refuse, document and report informal, coercive or extra-legal requests from foreign authorities;

28. Calls on the Member States to ensure that relevant authorities receiving Interpol data are properly trained to assess and identify risks of abuse;

29. Highlights that extra vetting for extradition requests and Interpol notices from governments known to engage in TNR is essential;

Financial and administrative instruments of repression

30. Calls on EU financial regulators to recognise that the Financial Action Task Force’s anti-money laundering / countering of the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework and cybersecurity frameworks may be weaponised; therefore, calls for safeguards and redress mechanisms to be developed;

31. Calls on law enforcement and judiciaries to cooperate with financial regulators to prevent and address such abuses;

Abuse of asylum and migration systems

32. Calls on the Member States to update their guidance for asylum and migration authorities to ensure that applicants belonging to groups commonly targeted by TNR are identified as facing heightened risk;

33. Calls on the Member States to recognise that denial of consular services is a form of TNR and to ensure that victims and their children can access alternative civic documentation;

Strengthening deterrence and accountability

34. Stresses the need to increase the cost of TNR for countries that engage in it and to strengthen deterrence;

35. Calls on the Member States to strengthen preventive and accountability measures, including vetting diplomats, interpreters and other relevant actors for involvement in TNR;

36. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase investment in forensic, financial and digital investigations into TNR;

Positioning the EU as a global leader in countering TNR

37. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to systematically integrate the countering of TNR into the EU’s external action;

38. Calls on the Commission to include TNR as a category in its rule of law and enlargement reports;

39. Calls on the Commission to make TNR a priority when implementing the European Democracy Shield;

40. Calls on future Council Presidencies to prioritise TNR on the EU agenda and work towards a coherent EU approach to countering TNR;

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41. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Transnational repression has become one of the most serious and under-addressed threats to democracy, human rights and state sovereignty and security within the European Union. Once primarily associated with authoritarian practices beyond Europe’s borders, it is now an increasingly prevalent phenomenon on EU territory, targeting, among others, exiles, members of diasporas, journalists, human rights defenders, political activists, humanitarian organisations and their donors, business representatives and their entities residing within the Union.

Through a broad and evolving range of physical, legal, financial, administrative, digital and proxy-based tactics, perpetrator states seek to silence dissent, intimidate communities and restrict civic participation across borders. These practices undermine fundamental rights and democratic space within the Union while violating Member State sovereignty through covert and coercive foreign interference and by restricting the ability of individuals residing in the EU to advocate for democracy, human rights and accountability in their countries of origin.

The urgency of addressing transnational repression has intensified as perpetrators increasingly exploit digital technologies, surveillance tools, FATF’s AML/CFT standards and cybersecurity frameworks, financial compliance frameworks, international cooperation mechanisms and migration systems in ways that often remain below traditional criminal or security thresholds. These tactics have evolved faster than the policy responses designed to counter them. At the same time, transnational repression remains significantly underreported and systematically underestimated, resulting in a persistent protection gap for those targeted.

Because transnational repression cuts across internal and external EU policies and exploits cross-border legal and institutional gaps, fragmented national responses are insufficient. Coordinated Union-level action is necessary to ensure consistency, close loopholes and prevent perpetrators from exploiting differences between Member States. Hence, while member states are affected differently by TNR, this report calls on all member states to jointly address the threat posed by TNR.

Moreover, the Union’s credibility as a global actor committed to democracy and human rights depends on its ability to protect individuals residing on its territory from repression by foreign states. Failing to do so not only endangers victims, affected communities, and associated entities, but also weakens the Union’s external action, and undermines trust in democratic institutions and the financial integrity and European competitiveness.

The recommendations in this report respond to the growing threat of transnational repression in the European Union and to the absence of a coherent, victim-centred EU strategy. They seek to close existing protection gaps by proposing a comprehensive approach grounded in human rights, democratic resilience and the defence of EU sovereignty by: (1) establishing a common EU understanding of transnational repression; (2) strengthening EU coordination, data collection and institutional response; (3) strengthening protection and support for victims of Transnational Repression; (4) preventing and responding to specific forms of Transnational Repression, (5) addressing structures that enable transnational repression, (6) strengthening deterrence and accountability, and (7) positioning the European Union as a global leader in countering transnational repression.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that she included in her report input on matters pertaining to the subject of the file that she received, in the preparation of the draft report, from the following interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from the following representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies:

1. Interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register

World Uyghur Congress

Araminta

Cairo Institute for Human Rights

Citizen Lab

Egyptian Human Rights Forum

European Centre for Non-Profit Law

Free Russia Foundation

Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime

Human Rights Watch

International Partnership for Human Rights

Law and Democracy Support Foundation

Miaan Group

Open Dialogue Foundation

Reporters Without Borders

Lancaster University

The Campaign for Hong Kong

Tibet Initiative Deutschland

United4Eritrea

World Liberty Congress

UN Special Representative on Human Rights in Russia

ALQST

Bureau du Tibet Brussels

Bundesministerium des Innern (BMI)

Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz

Auswärtiges Amt

European External Action Service

DG JUST

DG HOME

DG INTPA

OHCHR

Council of Europe

Freedom House

Deutsches Institut für Menschenrechte

Committee to Protect Journalists

Permanent Representation of Germany to the European Union

Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union

Permanent Representation of France to the European Union

Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Union

Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union

Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in the German Bundestag

EU Coordinator on Counterterrorism

EuroMed Rights

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

2. Representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.

Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur declares that she has submitted to the natural persons concerned the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.