European Democracy Shield: special EP committee elects Chair and starts work
On Monday, the new special Committee on the European Democracy Shield elected Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, FR) as its Chair, together with four Vice-Chairs.
The MEPs of the European Democracy Shield (EUDS) special committee elected the following members to the committee’s decision-making bureau, for the duration of the special committee’s 12-month mandate:
Chair: Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, FR)
First Vice-Chair: Csaba Molnár (S&D, HU)
Second Vice-Chair: Sandra Kalniete (EPP, LV)
Third Vice-Chair: Stefano Cavadegna (ECR, IT)
Fourth Vice-Chair: Vasile Dîncu (S&D, RO)
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Following her election as Chair, Nathalie Loiseau said: “Democracy is our most precious treasure. Today, European democracies are under attack. I am humbled and honoured to be elected as Chair of the European Parliament special Committee on the European Democracy Shield. We will work hard to reveal those attacking our democracies and to put forward the right response.”
Vote results
The Committee bureau was elected as follows.
Chair
Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, FR) 25 votes
António Tânger Corrêa (PfE, Portugal) 8 votes
First Vice-Chair
Csaba Molnár (S&D, HU) 21 votes
Fidias Panayiotou (NI, CY) 11 votes
electronic secret ballot
Second Vice-Chair
Sandra Kalniete (EPP, LV), by acclamation
Third Vice-Chair
Stefano Cavadegna (ECR, IT), by acclamation
Fourth Vice-Chair
Vasile Dîncu (S&D, RO), by acclamation
Watch a recording of the meeting on Parliament's Multimedia Centre.
Follow the special committee’s work on X: @EP_Democracy
The EUDS mission
Parliament voted on 18 December 2024 to set up a new special Committee on the European Democracy Shield. The committee will assess, existing and planned EU legislation and measures in the light of potential malicious interference in democratic processes, including in view of the upcoming European Democracy Shield included in the Commission’s 2024-2029 political guidelines. It will propose tangible solutions to strengthen EU resilience to hybrid threats and attacks and to improve the Union’s legal and institutional framework. Additionally, EUDS will examine the activities of the Commission and European External Action Service in combatting foreign information manipulation and interference.
The work of the special committee will focus on interference via online platforms and their impact on democracy; attacks on critical infrastructure; cyberattacks; AI-generated content and deep fakes aimed at foreign interference and information manipulation; home-grown hybrid threats, as well as the role of malicious state or non-state actors, among other issues.
The EUDS special committee has a 12-month mandate and comprises 33 members. It may present a mid-term report to Parliament and will submit a final report on its findings and recommendations.
Contacts:
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Yasmina YAKIMOVA
Press Officer -
Kyriakos KLOSIDIS
Press Officer