Just over two months after its presentation by the European Commission, the Member States’ Ministers for European Affairs held an exchange of views on the ‘European Democracy Shield’ (see EUROPE 13789/16) at the working lunch of the General Affairs Council on Monday 26 January.
Placed on the agenda by the Cyprus Presidency, which has made it one of its priorities, the aim of the debate was to clarify the scope of the initiative and the conditions for its implementation.
Presented last November (see EUROPE 13750/4) as part of a ‘democracy package’, the ‘Shield’ should strengthen the EU’s democratic defences to protect it against foreign interference, disinformation and hybrid threats, scourges that are gaining in importance and to which the future arsenal will respond by combining protection of the information space, support for democratic institutions and the development of societal resilience and citizen involvement.
The creation of a ‘European Centre for Democratic Resilience’ is one of the main proposals.
Alongside the EU Council, several Member States – including Slovenia and Estonia – reiterated the urgent need to move forward in the face of the risks of interference, particularly in the run-up to national elections.
Asked at the final press conference about criticism from the European Parliament of the ‘Shield’s’ lack of ambition, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President responsible for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, pointed out that the proposal could develop based on a proposal from the Parliament or the Council of the EU, and that the aim was not to duplicate existing provisions, but to more effectively make use of the capabilities already available at European and national level.
According to the Cyprus Presidency, discussions on the ‘Democracy Shield’ will continue at the next General Affairs Council in February, so that the initiative can be implemented gradually between now and 2027. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)