During a debate at the European Parliament's plenary session on Wednesday 17 January on the influence of Russian propaganda in the countries of the EU, MEPs called again on the EU to strengthen its strategy against false information.
Several MEPs, such as Sandra Kalniete, hailed the work of the European External Action Service's East Stratcom but regretted that it did not have enough means – either financial or human. "This is only credible if there is capacity and political resolve at the level of our ambitions", the Latvian EPP MEP stated. "It goes without saying that the EU's strategic communications need to be strengthened and the resources to be allocated to these actions", Finnish S&D MEP Liisa Jaakonsaari said.
Esteban Gonzàlez Pons (EPP, Spain) stated that the budget for the EU's strategic communication was €1 million per year, when that of the Kremlin was €1 billion per year. "We are virtually defenceless. We need to start responding more seriously", he said.
The MEPs also wanted greater transparency on media owners and better training for journalists. "Disinformation has always existed but now, with the internet, it is hard to see where the false information is coming from and who is at the origin of it (...) It is important to know who is financing the news on the internet. The best is not to make counter-propaganda but to provide facts", Johannes Cornelis van Baalen (ALDE, Netherlands) stated, adding that it was not only Russia but also China and other countries. For German Greens/EFA MEP Rebecca Harms, "if social media starts supplanting journalists, it must respect the same rules as media groups and journalists".
Jaakonsaari and Mario Borghezio (ENF, Italy) wanted to strengthen the dialogue between the European Parliament and the Russian Duma. "Those to whom we can present our doubts are the parliamentarians from the Duma. It is incredible that we are not speaking to them", Borghezio stated.
Some MEPs nevertheless considered there were no trustworthy data concerning propaganda or Russian influence. Barbara Spinelli (GUE/NGL, Italy), for example, said "there is no proof of Russian interference in the elections". She added that the concept of 'fake news' was to be handled with care because it was an ambiguous concept.
During the course of the debate, Julian King (Commissioner for Security Union) said the European Commission would present a strategy in the spring on the fight against false information. The Commission wants to fight against hostile or false information, while ensuring respect for the freedom of expression. In his view, information is a sort of new military weapon for Russia. King stated that although it was for the member states to guarantee media freedom and pluralism, the Commission also intended to take measures in this area, while respecting its competences.
For the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council, the minister Monika Panayotova said that it was "important to work on measures to develop citizens' resilience – for example, by raising their awareness – and to develop greater media pluralism". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)