The conclusions, which will be adopted by the Heads of State or Government on Friday 14 December, should mention the need to tackle disinformation and highlight the various initiatives already undertaken at the Community level, including the coordinated action plan. European leaders are meeting in March 2019 to take stock.
At this stage, the draft text emphasises that the spread of deliberate, large-scale and systematic misinformation represents a serious challenge for our democratic systems. It therefore calls for an "urgent response that is sustainable over time, with full respect for fundamental rights".
In particular, it asserts three main points: first, it stresses the need for a determined response that is comprehensive, coordinated and well funded on the basis of a threat assessment. It then calls for a rapid and coordinated implementation of the joint action plan on misinformation, presented in early December by the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs in the run-up to the May 2019 election (see EUROPE 12153). Finally, the text calls for swift and decisive action at the European and national level to ensure free and fair elections.
Misinformation is "false or misleading information, which is created, presented and disseminated for economic purposes or to intentionally mislead the public, and which may cause public harm". (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)