On Tuesday 8 April, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a Resolution calling for a coordinated response to foreign interference described as “threat to democratic security in Europe” by 141 votes in favour, 13 against, and 4 abstentions.
“This interference targets electoral processes to distort outcomes, erodes public confidence in democratic institutions, and seeks to influence political decision making for strategic advantage”, said the rapporteur, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica (EPP, Latvian), when opening the debate.
Russia tops the list of “malicious actors” operating on an “industrial scale “, followed by China and Iran, according to the report, which refers to data from the Meta group.
This was a list described as “biased and politically motivated” by Cypriot George Loucaides, spokesperson for the GUE, who announced that his group would not be voting in favour of the Resolution.
“The report says nothing about the role of NATO, the United States, and even the EU, in orchestrating regime changes, supporting authoritarian allies, or using media and financial networks to manipulate political outcomes”, he told the debate.
Noting proven interference in Brexit (2016) and the Moldovan and Romanian elections (2024), the Resolution stresses the importance of “comprehensive and holistic strategies” that mobilise society as a whole.
It calls on states to integrate foreign interference threats into national security frameworks, to enhance coordination between security agencies, both nationally and internationally, and to adopt an operational definition of foreign interference to improve this coordination.
The text also supports the use of “targeted and co-ordinated sanctions”.
Another element is that the fight against foreign interference must remain consistent with human rights standards and not hinder the autonomy of civil society actors, “who play a fundamental role in fostering democratic values, public accountability and social cohesion”.
It is not a question of “silencing dissidents, curbing press freedom, or restricting the work of independent organisations that hold governments to account”, summarised the rapporteur, while targeting legislation inspired by the Russian law on foreign agents.
Reference is made to the Council of Europe’s international guidelines on the subject and to the ratification of its recent Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (Vilnius Convention).
These are all tools linked to values whose importance was underlined by Theodoros Rousopoulos, President of the Assembly, in his opening address to the plenary session on Monday 7 April.
“Democracy may be old, but it is has not gone out of fashion. Many people in our world look to Europe for the courage and strength to believe once more in principles and values such as democracy, the Rule of law and human rights”.
Link to the report and resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/gc7 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)