Kinga Redlowska Comments on the European Democracy Shield
Comment by Kinga Redlowska
European Democracy Shield
‘The European Parliament’s proposals are an important step forward because they recognise something that is still too often missed in debates on foreign interference: influence operations do not run on narratives alone, they run on money.
'Much of the focus will understandably remain on disinformation, artificial intelligence and online manipulation. But political interference takes funding. Money pays for proxies, political advertising, media operations, recruitment and the networks that hide the role of hostile states. Following those financial trails often provides the best opportunity to detect, expose and disrupt interference before it causes real damage. As CFS argued in Canada Calling: Lessons for Europe on Confronting the Financing of Political Interference, Europe still too often treats political interference and financial integrity as separate policy problems, despite the clear overlap between them.'
'The real test, however, is implementation. Better rules are necessary, but they will not be enough. The European Democracy Shield will only work if election authorities, financial intelligence units, AML supervisors, sanctions teams and the private sector can share information and act quickly. If Europe is serious about defending democracy, it cannot afford to leave money out of the picture.'
Dr Kinga Redlowska is Head of CFS Europe, RUSI Europe
