The European Commission plans to establish a Centre for Democratic Resilience to combat disinformation from Russia and other authoritarian regimes, as detailed in a leaked document. This initiative is central to the “democracy shield” proposed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the 2024 European elections. The centre aims to consolidate expertise within the EU and candidate countries to counter foreign information manipulation and interference.
Von der Leyen highlighted the need for such a centre in a September speech, identifying Russia’s escalating hybrid attacks and deceitful narratives, particularly related to its aggression against Ukraine, as primary threats to democratic systems. The EU’s foreign service reports numerous Russian disinformation campaigns, including the Doppelganger campaign that created copycat media sites to spread anti-Western sentiments.
China is also recognized as a disinformation threat, utilizing private PR firms and influencers to disseminate pro-Beijing narratives globally. In 2024, Citizen Lab reported 123 Chinese-operated websites masquerading as news outlets that spread misinformation across multiple countries.
The significance of foreign interference was highlighted by Romania’s annulment of an election due to a Russian campaign involving cyber-attacks and social media manipulation. Moldova has similarly reported Russian interference in its elections.
The Centre for Democratic Resilience will facilitate information sharing among EU institutions and member states and aim to raise awareness of foreign manipulation. Participation will be voluntary for EU states and candidate countries, with possibilities for inclusion of “like-minded partners” like the UK. The proposed democracy shield also includes a network of independent fact-checkers and a voluntary group of internet influencers to promote awareness of EU democratic standards and rules.
