Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Plan for the Protection of Democratic Processes and the Strengthening of Civil Society, published by the European Commission (EC) on 3 December 2020, caused a wide response. The document proposes to toughen measures to combat foreign interference and improve existing EU instruments.

From July to September 2020, the EC held a public debate in EU countries, during which citizens, civil societies and organizations shared their proposals and expectations in three areas: electoral integrity, media freedom and pluralism, and the fight against disinformation.

The plan envisages activities in three strategic directions.

1. Fighting disinformation. The European Commission will tighten the requirements for online platforms in the area of spreading disinformation, introducing strict monitoring and supervision. The EC will revise the so-called Code of Practice on Disinformation, developed in 2018 and signed by the major digital platforms. It is expected that on 15 December 2020 the EU Digital Services Law will be promulgated, which should establish binding rules for all online platforms.

The EC condemns the information campaigns carried out by Russia and China in connection with the pandemic, and proposes to introduce financial sanctions for those guilty of foreign interference. According to the European External Action Service, since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 500 cases of disinformation from the Russian Federation about COVID-19 have been identified.

2. Promotion of free and fair elections. In order to prevent massive manipulative campaigns during the elections in 2021, the EC intends to propose a law on the transparency of political content. Moreover, it is planned to revise the legislation on the financing of European political parties in order to prevent their financing from abroad.

3. Strengthening media freedom and pluralism. Due to the sharp increase in the number of physical attacks and threats against media workers, the European Commission plans to develop and take measures to protect journalists from lawsuits that impede the conduct of journalistic investigations. The plan also provides for support for the media, which, from a financial point of view, cannot withstand the digital giants. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 344 attacks on media workers in 22 EU member states, according to the Media Freedom Rapid Response project.

Overall, against the backdrop of growing threats to European democratic values, as well as in the context of the digital revolution, Brussels is updating and strengthening standards in the field of strengthening democracy and civil society.