In a draft report on the Rule of Law in the EU, submitted to the European Parliament and which will now be voted on, Ana Catarina Mendes recommends that “the Commission and Member States monitor foreign interference, particularly the use of social networks for the purposes of malicious manipulation, including its use by individuals like Elon Musk, to influence public opinion and spread disinformation in Europe.”

For the Socialist parliamentarian, “the Commission must ensure that the rule of law is correctly implemented in EU institutions”.

In the document, Ana Catarina Mendes expresses “concern about foreign interference in member states”, classifying as “unacceptable” those who say they are attempts by Elon Musk to “use media platforms to manipulate public opinion” in the community space.

With Elon Musk controlling the X platform (formerly Twitter) and after Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) removed fact-checking mechanisms, the PS MEP is calling for action from the EU executive, the institution responsible for monitoring the application of recent fact-checking laws. Digital Services and Digital Markets, aimed at large platforms.

“Direct attack on democracy”

“The European Commission and Member States must use all available legal instruments to respond to the use of social media platforms to manipulate public opinion. Systematic manipulations are deliberate interference and a direct attack on democracy,” said Ana Catarina Mendes in a statement.

The EU has become, since the end of last August and after a period of adaptation, the first jurisdiction in the world with rules for digital platforms such as X, Facebook and Instagram, which are now obliged to remove illegal content.

These obligations are due to the introduction of the Digital Services Act in the EU, under which the Commission defined 19 very large online platforms, with 45 million monthly active users, that will have to comply with the new rules.

The new Digital Services Act was created to protect the fundamental rights of online users and has become a first-of-its-kind legislation for the digital space that holds platforms accountable for illegal and harmful content, including misinformation.

Companies that fail to comply with the new laws could face fines commensurate with their size.