Twelve European nations urged the European Commission to safeguard elections from foreign interference.

France, Germany, and 10 other European Union countries are urging the European Commission to utilize its powers under the Digital Services Act to safeguard the integrity of European elections from foreign interference.

This is stated in a letter signed by 12 countries, which was reviewed by Reuters.

In the letter, the ministers for European affairs from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain have requested the Commission to fulfill its commitments to establish a special EU body to combat foreign manipulation of information and interference.

“The escalation of threats from foreign interference and subversive actions in public debates during key elections poses a direct challenge to our stability and sovereignty,” the letter states.

The ministers assert that “recent incidents necessitate urgent and coordinated actions to protect future elections in the EU.”

EU diplomats, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the letter addresses interference primarily from Russia and China, as well as other instances.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni considers the Russian threat to the European Union to be “significantly broader than we imagine.”