Romanian MEPs Urge Swift EU Action Against Election Interference

Romanian Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from centrist political groups are calling for urgent measures from EU institutions to counter external interference in elections and disinformation campaigns on social media. They stress the importance of safeguarding upcoming elections across the EU from such influences, CE Report quotes Agerpres

Dan Barna of the Renew group emphasized that Russia has been using Eastern Europe as a testing ground for election interference, citing the example of Moldova's referendum and the election of Maia Sandu, where platforms like Telegram and TikTok played pivotal roles in spreading disinformation. Barna warned of similar risks for upcoming elections in Germany, advocating for the enforcement of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) to regulate political campaigns on social media.

"We have the legislation, but now it needs to be implemented. The toxicity of unregulated social platforms in campaigns is evident," Barna stated, urging a firm response from the European Commission.

Nicu Ștefănuță, Vice-President of the European Parliament and member of the Greens group, pointed to heightened EU concern over TikTok's role in disinformation. "The elections in Germany are a guarantee that Europe will act," Ștefănuță said, noting upcoming discussions in the European Parliament about imposing stricter regulations, potentially including bans, if companies fail to comply with the DSA.

Victor Negrescu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) highlighted existing EU mechanisms to combat disinformation but criticized their lack of enforcement. He argued for a centralized, operational coordination center to handle disinformation effectively and underscored the need to act early, before election periods, to prevent disinformation campaigns from shaping public opinion.

With major elections approaching in Germany and Romania, the MEPs collectively stressed the urgency of robust EU action to protect democratic processes.