Democracy Shield: Election Security or Narrative Control? скачать в хорошем качестве

Democracy Shield: Election Security or Narrative Control?

18:30 - 20:00 According to the European Commission, the evolving European Democracy Shield project is an important defence against election interference by Russia and other authoritarian regimes, as well as by non-state actors – such as their favourite example Elon Musk who they accuse of ‘meddling in European election campaigns, taking sides and using the power of his social network to champion his own interests’. With national elections taking place in Hungary this April, important German state elections in March and September, and the French Presidential elections due in April 2027, it is high time to get to grips with what the European Democracy Shield delivers, how and for whom. Dr Norman Lewis, in his groundbreaking report for MCC Brussels, details how the European Commission has quietly constructed an ecosystem for narrative control and election interference. Through the Democracy Shield, Dr Lewis argues that an integrated network of Rapid Response Systems, trusted flaggers, fact-checkers, and state-funded NGOs, operating under the banner of protecting democracy and election integrity, has been built to curb the rise of populist and national conservative parties. According to Dr Lewis, pre-emptive censorship and influence infrastructure are being used to shape what citizens can read, share, and believe before they vote. The experiences of Romania, Moldova, and Czechia lend weight to the idea that a Brussels playbook is at work, aiming to ensure Commission-friendly outcomes by deploying the narrative of FIMI (foreign information manipulations and interference) and disinformation to concoct reasons to annul or directly shape elections and their outcomes. As Dr Lewis recognises, foreign interference and disinformation are real problems in elections. This raises an important question: how should we balance these concerns? Can worries about AI-enhanced disinformation—spread by both domestic and foreign actors trying to influence election results—be addressed without giving control of the political debate to technocratic EU elites who have their own agendas and election-related goals? Join MCC Brussels and the Patriots for Europe Foundation to examine these pressing questions. Speakers include: András László MEP, Fidesz-KDNP, PfE and President of the Patriots for Europe Foundation Dr Norman Lewis, Visiting Research Fellow, MCC Brussels and author of its report 'A shield against democracy: How the Democracy Shield protects the EU from the electorate' Jaroslav Bžoch MEP (ANO, PfE) and Patriots for Europe Foundation