We are proud of being an open democracy.

But democracy needs protection.

Today, we put forward a Defence of Democracy package to bring covert foreign influence to light and boost citizens' participation ↓

#EUDemocracy

We are taking action to better shield ourselves from covert foreign influence by mandating transparency.

Our proposed Directive will:
➡ Define common EU standards
➡ Ensure accountability when third countries seek to influence the EU democratic process

Here’s how ↓

The proposed rules will require:

➡ The introduction of national Transparency Register of entities carrying out interest representation
➡ Public access to key elements, including the activities carried out
➡ Record keeping of such activities

Safeguards will ensure no misuse.

We are further providing recommendations to EU countries to promote free, fair, and resilient elections.

They:
➡ Promote high democratic standards for elections
➡ Support high voter turnouts
➡ Ensure inclusive participation and electoral rights exercise

We can all play a crucial role in our democracy.

We want civil society to effectively take part in democratic policymaking.

New recommendations will encourage EU countries to make participation processes predictable, accessible, transparent, and inclusive.