As part of his SOTEU, President Juncker expressed his concern about current challenges to the rule of law in Europe – among others to freedom of the Press. With the European Parliament elections in May 2019 in mind, he announced that the Commission is proposing new rules to better protect the EU’s democratic processes from manipulation by third countries or private interests. The proposals entail a recommendation on greater transparency in online political advertising, guidance on the application of EU data protection law and a Regulation to pool resources and expertise on cybersecurity technology. Continuing these themes, this year’s Commission annual fundamental rights colloquium on 26 – 27 November in Brussels will be on ‘Democracy in the EU’.
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