By Javier Villamor, European Conservative. (Photo: Lukas S/Unsplash)
While framed as a defence against foreign interference, the project places Brussels at the centre of decisions about what qualifies as disinformation and how it should be addressed.
The European Commission on Tuesday launched a new body to combat “foreign information manipulation”—a move Brussels says will protect democracy, but one that significantly expands the EU’s role in overseeing elections and public debate.
The initiative forms part of the broader “European Democracy Shield,” a framework the Commission argues is necessary in a world where information is increasingly “weaponised.”
Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath formally launched the European Centre for Democratic Resilience during a lunch with ministers at the General Affairs Council.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed the Centre was needed in a world where information “is being weaponised,” arguing that it will safeguard that debate remains “open and fair.”
The concern is not that foreign influence campaigns exist, but how far the EU’s response is set to go.
The new Centre will do more than share intelligence. It is tasked with strengthening “resilient elections,” drafting a common European plan to counter foreign information manipulation, coordinating with media organisations and online platforms, and even organising citizens’ panels under Commission oversight.
Taken together, the measures suggest Brussels is strengthening its role in managing how information and political debate are handled across the bloc.
Although the official text says the Centre will operate “in full respect of national competences,” its structure suggests something more than simple voluntary cooperation.
The Commission will back the Centre through its own secretariat and strengthen coordination with the European External Action Service and the EU’s rapid alert system, which monitors suspected disinformation campaigns.