Comment by the Russian Permanent Mission to the EU on the resolution “Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation” adopted by the European Parliament

Submitted on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 16:24

Brussels continues its policy of "tightening the screws" in the information space under the guise of combating disinformation and foreign interference.

The European Parliament has recently been particularly "productive" in working on formulating proposals for enhanced control over public opinion. Adopted by a majority vote on 1 June 2023, the resolution “Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation”, which, as MEPs put it, aims to protect freedom of expression, ironically consists of a mere set of demands to increase oversight and monitoring of online platforms and media outlets, to ban cooperation with companies from certain countries, and impose sanctions against those who "do not play by the rules".

The opus pays particular attention to our country. Russia is portrayed as the main source of disinformation. Unsurprisingly, no facts are provided to support such accusations.

At the same time, the MEPs believe that supporting the so-called independent Russian media, extending information regulation to third countries, and “strengthening the EU’s voice in the priority regions” do not amount to foreign interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states.

Clearly, the so-called "Russian threat" and " defence of democracy" are just a pretext to clean up the information space in the run-up to the 2024 EP elections. Such moves demonstrate the inability of MEPs to compete openly in a fair "battle for the minds" of the electorate. The consequences of such actions are not considered here. No society can function without diverse opinions, impartial debate and pluralism in media space. Even if the EU manages to ban "undesirable" sources of information, Brussels cannot "kill" Europeans' demand for an alternative point of view.