The Council of Ministers today approved conclusions on democratic resilience and the safeguarding of electoral processes from any form of foreign interference. With billions of citizens worldwide voting in 2024 – including elections to the European Parliament – the conclusions underline that democratic resilience remains central to the Council’s agenda.

In an evolving security environment, democracies face new challenges as malicious actors increasingly use hybrid tactics to undermine electoral processes, challenge their legitimacy and discourage citizens from voting. In addition to information manipulation by foreign actors, which is on the rise, hybrid campaigns can also involve malicious cyber activities and other elements such as the use of artificial intelligence and deep fakes.

The Council conclusions provide an overview of the various mechanisms available to the EU to deal with hybrid threats and foreign interference and to secure elections. Such measures include the hybrid toolbox, the foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) toolbox, and hybrid rapid response teams that provide a framework for a coordinated response to hybrid campaigns. , as well as the Digital Services Act, the Enhanced Code of Practice on Disinformation, the European Media Freedom Act and various coordination networks.

In view of the upcoming European elections, the Council calls on the EU institutions and Member States to step up their action to monitor attempts by foreign actors to interfere in the EU’s democratic process. It also calls on the EU High Representative and the Commission, together with Member States, to maximize the use of all existing mechanisms, networks and tools in order to ensure close cooperation within the EU and support the integrity of elections, without hindering open democratic debate.

The Commission is called upon to continue its work with online platforms, as well as its close cooperation with civil society, academia and fact-checkers, as well as the exchange of information with Member States, to counter foreign interference and disinformation in the digital space.

Finally, the Council underlines the critical role of free, independent and pluralistic media and the need to strengthen digital literacy and media literacy among citizens to strengthen overall societal resilience to foreign information manipulation and interference.