“Our vibrant democracies depend on the freedom of citizens to express themselves and participate in democratic life. It is in this spirit that we have today adopted this package of measures”, declared the Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for values and transparency, Věra Jourová, before the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The aim was to highlight the importance of transparency and civic engagement as part of the new ‘Defence of Democracy’ package adopted by the European Commission on Tuesday 12 December.
This package, prepared with a view to the 2024 European elections, aims to strengthen democracy in Europe by combating foreign interference and promoting the active participation of citizens in democratic processes. It follows the announcement by the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her State of the Union address in September 2022 (see EUROPE 13021/4).
At the heart of this legislative package is the proposal for a directive establishing harmonised rules across the EU to ensure transparency and democratic accountability. It specifically targets lobbying activities carried out by entities on behalf of third country governments. These entities will have to comply with a detailed Transparency Register, guaranteeing greater visibility of their actions.
The Commission has included “proportionate rules and guarantees” to safeguard fundamental freedoms. These measures strike a balance between the need for transparency and respect for individual rights by limiting the powers of supervisory authorities and providing for justified exceptions to the public disclosure of information.
Broadening civic engagement and protecting electoral processes.
At the same time, two recommendations were published. The first aims to strengthen electoral processes in the EU by promoting high democratic standards and broad, inclusive electoral participation. It proposes strategies to minimise the risks of foreign interference and protect electoral infrastructure.
The second recommendation focuses on the involvement of citizens and civil society organisations in the development of public policy. The aim is to create an environment conducive to participation by encouraging Member States to develop structured and transparent frameworks. The Commission is also planning to integrate European Citizens’ Panels into its political process and to launch an online portal to facilitate this engagement.
The Vice-President of the Commission responsible for democracy and demography, Dubravka Šuica, says the aim is to strengthen democracy from within, by focusing on creating opportunities for citizens and civil society organisations to participate in political decision-making. Addressing the MEPs, the Commissioner stressed the need to ensure inclusiveness and the widest possible participation of citizens by developing media literacy and critical thinking skills from an early age.
MEPs have reacted in different ways to this package. Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D, French) stressed the need to actively defend democracy, calling for transparency in the funding of public debates and resistance to authoritarian influences. Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA, Czech) expressed concern about the effectiveness of the measures, criticising the non-binding nature of the EU’s recommendations. Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA, Belgian) also expressed astonishment at the lack of measures against surveillance and spying in the package.
While Jorge Buxadé Villalba (ECR, Spanish) highlighted “the dangers of multiculturalism” and called for democratic unity to counter foreign interference, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens/EFA, French) defended the role of civil society in “protecting democracy”, while Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, Spanish) stressed the importance of protecting democracy against false information and increasing voter turnout. Bart Groothuis (Renew Europe, Dutch) discussed the influence of China and Russia in Europe, calling for a reduction in exposure to these influences.
The directive: https://aeur.eu/f/a3r
The recommendations: https://aeur.eu/f/a3s ; https://aeur.eu/f/a3t (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)