Elections: Vice-President Jourová and Commissioner Reynders discuss democratic resilience with the European cooperation network on elections

Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, and Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, joined the European Cooperation Network of Elections  (the network brings together representatives of Member States’ authorities with competence in electoral matters) meeting (27-28 January) to discuss how to address elections’ manipulation and spread of disinformation.   Vice-President Jourová reiterated the Commission’s commitment to protect citizens’ rights to free and fair elections, especially in the digital sphere, as recently outlined in the European Democracy Action Plan. In this context, she recalled that the Commission is preparing a legislative proposal on regulating the online advertising of political and invited the participants to share their views. Vice-President expressed her support for the work done within the Network, calling for even greater cooperation at the EU level.  Speaking at the event, Vice-President Jourová said: “We need all hands on deck to protect democracy and address risks amplified by the online world. The network provides a unique platform for greater cooperation and we need to step up our work to make it more operational.” In his intervention, Commissioner Reynders focused on the EU citizenship rights, in particular on how to make it easier for all EU citizens to use those rights, ensuring active participation in the democratic life of the European Union – some of the key priorities of EU Citizenship Report. Opening the event yesterday, Commissioner Reynders said: “We need to support inclusive and equal participation in the 2024 elections to the European Parliament. No one should be left behind in European democracy. Together, we are making progress with our common work for democracy.” Launched in 2019, the European Cooperation Network on Elections brings together Member States’ authorities and allows for practical exchanges on a range of topics relevant to free and fair elections, including data protection, cyber-security, transparency and awareness raising. More information on the Network, the agenda and the conclusions of the meeting are available online.