Public service media are looking forward to the publication of the European Commission’s Defence of Democracy Package, which will aim to strengthen the resilience of the EU democratic space against covert ‘foreign interference’. To avoid any abuses, the EBU calls for a clear definition of foreign interference in line with international law.

Public service media play an essential role in maintaining healthy democratic societies. Our member organizations contribute to the building of an informed citizenship by offering citizens a plurality of opinions in an independent manner. However, other actions should be implemented online and offline to foster democracy.

In our contribution, we note that online platforms should be more transparent and carry out more actions to curb disinformation fueling social polarization and jeopardizing the integrity of electoral processes. These actions should be complemented by policy and regulatory measures aimed at promoting reliable and pluralistic content in the online environment, including obligations on EU Member States to ensure prominence of audiovisual and audio media services of general interest.

We also call for the sharing of fact- and evidence-based information on the detection, analysis, and mapping of attempts to interfere with democratic processes. These must not stay within closed communities and must be shared in a timely and open manner with journalists, media professionals, academia and fact-checking organisations. Media and information literacy for the entire population are key to counter disinformation and improve the resilience against foreign interference.

Read more in our contribution to the right.