How to watch the Committee on European Democracy Shield (special committee) (EUDS)

Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Civil society and experts: election manipulation patterns and DSA gaps

Christo Grozev and 1 other

Grozev and Nikolova/BFMI present evidence of domestically rooted, cross‑platform coordinated inauthentic behavior in the Bulgarian elections, explain concrete manipulation tactics and Russian‑linked content laundering networks, contrast TikTok’s cooperation with Meta’s limited action, and argue for stronger, standardized EU‑level DSA enforcement and use of the Rapid Response System.

In this chapter

1. Grozev: domestic cross‑platform manipulation and EU enforcement gapsChristo Grozev
2. Nikolova / BFMI: real‑time monitoring, tactics and DSA rapid response

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Chair: opening and Bulgaria FIMI context

Vasile Dîncu S&D

The Chair opens the second session on foreign information manipulation and interference in Bulgaria, sets the electoral integrity focus and introduces the Bulgarian speakers, followed by Shalamanov’s description of the national horizontal FIMI coordination mechanism, links to EU tools and identified weaknesses in DSA implementation and regulatory coordination.

In this chapter

1. Opening of second session: focus on Bulgaria FIMIVasile Dîncu
2. Shalamanov: governmental FIMI mechanism and lessonsVasile Dîncu

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Extraordinary meeting

M. Brandstätter: remark referencing Microsoft

Helmut Brandstätter Renew

M. Helmut Brandstätter briefly intervenes with a short remark that references Microsoft in the context of the committee discussion.

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Extraordinary meeting

Intervenant 1: statement in Hungarian

Intervenant 1 thanks the participants and announces that they will speak in Hungarian, marking a language change in the intervention.

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Extraordinary meeting

Opening segment: transition to next item

Tomáš Zdechovský PPE

The chair briefly signals a transition to the next point on the agenda with a short introductory remark.

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

MEPs and journalists: deepfakes, algorithms and Hungary

Juan Fernando López Aguilar and 1 other

Linked questions from an MEP and a journalist on deepfake forensics, engagement-driven algorithms, cooperation with the AI Office and foreign interference, including conditionality and Article 7 measures towards Hungary and references to troll farms and external actors in Hungarian elections.

In this chapter

1. MEP: deepfakes forensics and Hungary conditionalityJuan Fernando López Aguilar
2. Questions on algorithms, AI Office and foreign influenceTomáš Zdechovský

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Alliance for Europe evidence and Commission DSA enforcement

Alliance for Europe details coordinated inauthentic behavior on X around EU elections and urges stronger, better‑funded DSA enforcement and democracy safeguards, followed by Commission services outlining existing democracy tools, DSA monitoring structures for Hungary, and planned enforcement and research priorities on AI‑driven manipulation.

In this chapter

1. Alliance for Europe: bot infrastructure on X and DSA enforcement needs
2. Commission responses: generic democracy tools and DSA monitoring of Hungary

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Hungary elections: foreign interference, AI‑driven disinformation and EU implications

Juan Fernando López Aguilar and 1 other

The debate shifts to the recent Hungarian elections, with the chair and expert Susanna Zeleny outlining electoral conditions, media capture, AI‑enabled smear campaigns and foreign links, while MEPs probe vulnerabilities, early‑warning indicators, conspiracy narratives and lessons for wider EU electoral integrity.

In this chapter

1. Shift to Hungary: framing elections, interference, AI and foreign support
2. Zeleny: Hungarian elections: results, unfair conditions and AI smear campaigns
3. Questions to Zeleny: vulnerabilities, smear campaigns and wider EU relevanceJuan Fernando López Aguilar

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

JRC ‘Future challenges to democracy’ study: presentation and MEP scrutiny

Juan Fernando López Aguilar S&D

The chair and JRC present the scoping study on global democratic backsliding, methodology and key challenges, followed by MEP questions on crises, authoritarian performance, public sphere fragmentation, populism, bias and the independence and policy relevance of the research.

In this chapter

1. Chair introduces JRC ‘Future challenges to democracy’ study
2. JRC: methodology and focus on three key democracy challenges
3. MEP Q&A with JRC: crises, authoritarianism, public sphere and biasJuan Fernando López Aguilar

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Mission to Poland and Lithuania: hybrid threats and democratic resilience

Members report back on the field mission to Poland and Lithuania, detailing border management, hybrid threats from Belarus and Russia, crisis coordination, Frontex’s role, and links between migration management, defence preparedness, youth engagement and the protection of democracy.

In this chapter

1. Field mission to Poland and Lithuania: border and hybrid threats
2. Mission outcomes: Frontex, cyber resilience, youth and regional cooperation
3. Reflections on mission: democracy, migration and hybrid threats

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

EEAS responses: sanctions, platforms, transatlantic cooperation and technical limits

Jacob Tamm and 1 other

The EEAS explains its methodology for attributing covert operations and exposing hidden FIMI networks, calls for stronger and better‑enforced sanctions, describes deteriorating cooperation with major platforms under the DSA framework, notes setbacks in US institutional and civil society capacities, and clarifies how the EU Democracy Shield, Rapid Alert System and new Center for Democratic Resilience will interconnect, before closing with an explanation of current AI detection methods and their limits and the Chair’s announcement of an in camera continuation.

In this chapter

1. EEAS reply: from admiring the problem to sanctions and attributionJacob Tamm
2. EEAS reply: platforms, US cooperation, Democracy Shield and RASJacob Tamm
3. AI detection limits and meeting closureVasile Dîncu

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

MEP questions: DSA scope, AI risks and Democracy Shield

Vasile Dîncu and 3 others

S&D and Renew MEPs question the EEAS on entrenched FIMI, limitations of the Digital Services Act in targeting originators, AI‑driven distrust and possible mandatory AI labelling, as well as contacts with platforms and US counterparts; EPP MEP Zdechovský presses for a move from analysis to action, raises concerns about Hungary, and asks how the EU Democracy Shield will work in practice to ensure real‑time coordination and data sharing without added bureaucracy.

In this chapter

1. Q&A: S&D and Renew on DSA, AI and platform dutiesVasile Dîncu
2. EPP MEP Zdechovský: from analysis to action and Democracy ShieldVasile Dîncu

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

EEAS analytical findings: AI, attribution and incident mapping

Jacob Tamm

EEAS experts detail how generative AI and LLM grooming are now standard tools in FIMI operations, present attribution patterns with a focus on Russia and China, highlight key 2025 electoral targets, quantify AI involvement in incidents, and showcase network mapping plus a new public explorer tool revealing coordinated FIMI assets.

In this chapter

1. EEAS: AI use, LLM grooming and deterrence playbookJacob Tamm
2. Data findings: incidents, targets, AI and FIMI networks

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Opening and framing of FIMI threat report

Vasile Dîncu and 1 other

The Chair opens the special committee meeting, adopts the agenda and coordinators’ decisions, presents interpretation and e‑meeting arrangements, and introduces the 4th EEAS FIMI threat report; the EEAS then outlines the evolution and escalation of foreign information manipulation and interference, the shift from detection to deterrence, and key 2025 incident and investment figures.

In this chapter

1. Opening of meeting and agenda adoptionVasile Dîncu
2. EEAS overview: threat evolution and escalationJacob Tamm

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Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield Joint meeting

Q&A: EU support, disinformation, church influence and security

Alexandra Geese Verts/ALE

MEPs question Moldovan officials on effective EU instruments, democratic and electoral resilience, Kremlin use of the Orthodox Church and disinformation narratives, and US policy, with Moldovan replies highlighting concrete EU assistance, education and StratCom tools, and a strong security services mandate and political resolve.

In this chapter

1. S&D, ECR, Greens: questions on EU support, church influence and disinformationAlexandra Geese
2. Moldovan responses: EU assistance, education, church misuse and narratives
3. Moldovan security perspective: counter‑espionage and political resolve

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Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield Joint meeting

Moldova’s security strategy and EU enlargement stakes

Moldovan representatives and key political groups outline Moldova’s new national security strategy against hybrid threats, detail defence and cyber reforms, and link Moldova’s resilience and energy/security alignment with the Union to EU enlargement and the strategic reduction of grey zones.

In this chapter

1. Moldovan delegation: national security strategy and hybrid threat response
2. S&D coordinator: lessons from Moldova’s resilience to Russian interference
3. EPP and Renew: Moldova’s role in EU security and enlargement

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Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield Joint meeting

Opening and EU–Moldova security framework

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann Renew

Chairs introduce the Moldovan delegation, frame Moldova’s democratic resilience against Russian interference, and position the EU–Moldova relationship within the Union’s security and defence architecture, including CSDP and European Peace Facility support.

In this chapter

1. Opening: Moldova’s democratic resilience and EU focus
2. Security and Defence Committee chair: EU–Moldova security partnershipMarie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Chair: vote timetable and suspension of sitting

The Chair schedules the committee vote on the Democracy Shield report for 23 June, formally closes the morning session and announces resumption of the meeting at 15:00.

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Commission and MEPs: European Democracy Shield implementation and mandate

Helmut Brandstätter Renew

DG JUST presents the state of play and related EU instruments, followed by Renew and S&D calls for strong parliamentary oversight of the resilience centre and a binding legislative mandate, with the rapporteur outlining strategic aims, existing law enforcement and concerns over digital dependence on non‑EU infrastructure.

In this chapter

1. Commission (DG JUST): state of play on European Democracy Shield
2. Renew (Brandstätter): Russian influence, elections and resilience centre oversightHelmut Brandstätter
3. S&D: insistence on binding mandates for new legislation
4. Rapporteur: closing remarks and strategic impact

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

MEPs: free speech, NGO role and foreign interference

Fabrice Leggeri and 1 other

Members, mainly from ID and allied groups, contest concepts like ‘harmful narratives’, warn against restrictions on lawful political speech, question EU‑funded NGOs, fact‑checkers and US‑linked actors, and highlight alleged Islamist and Russian influence while invoking subsidiarity and national constitutional limits.

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Democracy Shield: rapporteur’s framework and main group positions

Jaroslav Bžoch and 1 other

The rapporteur and key political groups (EPP, S&D, ECR/Patriots, Greens) define the scope of the European Democracy Shield, outlining priorities on cybersecurity, external and internal threats, digital autonomy, and the use of existing EU instruments versus new structures, as well as diverging views on platform regulation and ad‑driven disinformation.

In this chapter

1. Democracy Shield report: rapporteur overview and S&D priorities
2. Patriots/ECR and Greens: threats definition, centers vs. existing tools, platforms’ business modelJaroslav Bžoch

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

AI governance gaps, UN responses and EU support to Global Digital Compact

MEPs deepen questioning on election interference, profit‑driven AI misuse and lethal autonomous weapons, prompting Gill to clarify UN positions on human control, dynamic regulation, the AI science panel’s governance, funding constraints and engagement with big powers, before the Commission presents how EU instruments like the AI Act, Global Gateway and AI codes of practice feed into UN‑level standard‑setting. The Chair then summarises the multilateral AI and digital governance discussion and formally closes the item, transitioning to the Democracy Shield report.

In this chapter

1. Questions on election interference, profit-driven AI misuse and lethal autonomous weapons
2. Gill’s replies: human control, dynamic regulation, scientific panel and big powers
3. Commission (AI directorate): EU support for Global Digital Compact and AI standards
4. Chair’s wrap‑up with Gill and transition to Democracy Shield report

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

UN tech envoy: mandate, Global Digital Compact and initial MEP questions

Fabrice Leggeri PfE

The Chair opens the meeting, introduces UN tech envoy Amandeep Singh Gill and the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, after which Gill details UN digital cooperation structures, the Global Digital Compact and emerging AI governance tools, followed by first questions from EPP and other groups on implementation, human rights, geopolitical tensions, and the independence and legitimacy of UN mechanisms. This block frames the UN’s role, the scope of the Compact and AI work, and surfaces early political concerns about enforceability, free expression and major‑power alignment.

In this chapter

1. Opening of meeting and introduction of UN tech envoy
2. Gill: UN digital cooperation, Global Digital Compact and AI governance
3. EPP questions: implementation, minors’ protection and platform commitments
4. First round of political group questions to GillFabrice Leggeri

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

US and NATO perspectives: hybrid threats and information warfare

The Chair reports on the committee’s visit to the US on DSA, hybrid threats and digital governance, then introduces NATO’s StratCom Centre director, who briefs on Russian and Chinese information warfare, AI‑enabled manipulation and upcoming exercises; MEPs question him on distinguishing foreign from domestic actors, lessons from Ukraine and Chinese AI models, before the Chair links these insights to the planned EU Centre for Democratic Resilience.

In this chapter

1. US mission debrief: hybrid threats and transatlantic cooperation
2. Intro to NATO StratCom COE and its mandate
3. NATO StratCom Director: information warfare and AI threats

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Special committee on the European Democracy Shield Ordinary meeting

Second Q&A round and Commission clarifications: legal basis, powers and safeguards

Fabrice Leggeri and 1 other

MEPs press for details on the Centre’s legal personality, scope, operational powers, relation to security competences and contacts with Big Tech, while Commissioner McGrath clarifies that it will be a small secretariat without regulatory or intelligence powers, funded within the existing MFF, based on voluntary member‑state participation, and rejects censorship claims before the Chair closes the item.

In this chapter

1. Second Q&A round: legal personality, scope and powersFabrice Leggeri
2. Commissioner McGrath: clarification on mandate, budget and censorship claimsMichael McGrath
3. Chair’s closing remarks and break

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