Recent geopolitical developments are bringing the EU to a crossroads. Repeated disinformation campaigns from third countries, the political position adopted by Big Tech CEOs in recent months and their calls to stop the application of the Digital Services Act, are clear examples of how our EU laws protecting citizens online are under pressure from Big Tech and the Trump administration.

The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament remain firm in their call: now is not the time to weaken EU digital rules. Doing so would send the wrong message to the US and discredit our efforts to build a values-based online ecosystem. In today’s turbulent political climate, the progressive family calls on the European Commission to uphold the legislation – meticulously designed and democratically adopted during the previous mandate – to counter disinformation and illegal content, tackle online harassment and ensure the security of minors.

The Socialists and Democrats are ready to do what it takes to protect citizens from unsafe online environments. This is why, instead of accepting any sabotage to our tech rules, today, the S&Ds have put new proposals on the table to protect citizens online(opens in a new tab).

Alex Saliba, S&D MEP and vice-president for Digital Agenda, said:

“The protection of our citizens online cannot become a bargaining chip in the trade war with Trump. Instead of digital deregulation, we need to be bold. The Socialists and Democrats are ready to do what it takes to protect our citizens against severe issues – from addictive design to disinformation – that require immediate action.

“Platforms that do not play by the rules should be banned. We need to put an end to exploitative and toxic business models that threaten not only mental health but also our democracy. For this, we need European alternatives to ensure that citizens can still enjoy freedom of speech in a safe, inclusive and respectful online environment.

“Today, we propose the development of a federated and secured public digital infrastructure grounded in European regulatory standards, that would include the launch of a Digital Sovereignty Fund from the EU budget. This fund would serve to release the necessary investments to build a European Digital ecosystem. 

“We also call on the Commission to build a democratic European platform for trustworthy news and information. This platform would centralise existing content from public service media and licensed broadcasters across member states.

“We will not water down our legislation or sabotage our democratic ambitions to satisfy Trump’s demands. The AI Continent Action Plan announced by the European Commission must not undermine the human-centered AI Act that we passed during the last mandate. We expect the executive vice-president, Henna Virkunnen, to show strength and determination and we oppose the decision to withdrawal the AI liability Directive. How else do we ensure that someone is liable, for instance, if citizens are discriminated because of their race or gender by AI technology when applying for a bank loan?

“Our Group has always been at the forefront of efforts to build a safe and democratic digital environment. We will do what it takes to live up to what our citizens demand from us: to be an example of determination and leadership.”

Note to editors

Today, the S&Ds propose six solutions to protect Europeans online:

1.    We urge the Commission to speed up the proposal for a Digital Fairness Act in order to bring additional protection for Europeans against deceptive and addictive designs, dark patterns, personalised practices targeting vulnerabilities.

2.    Europe needs to build a democratic European platform for trustworthy news and information: This platform would centralise existing content from public service media and licensed broadcasters across member states.

3.    Member states can already ban social media platforms infringing our laws. The EU can take the next steps to provide Europeans with alternative offers to our citizens to allow them to share their ideas on safe, unbiased and respectful online platforms  (1) obliging platforms infringing our laws to sell their European activities to EU actors (via a public private partnership) before a ban is applied or (2) foster the emergence and development of European competitors in the social media market thanks to a federated and secured public digital infrastructure.

4.    Develop a federated and secured public digital infrastructure grounded in European regulatory standards: Based on a comprehensive regulatory framework that aligns with European values of privacy by design, transparency, accountability, expandability, and competition, we can develop a federated and secured digital infrastructure.

5.    Ensure the future of media pluralism and put an end to exploitative business models: The digital advertising market is dominated by a handful of tech giants (Google, Meta, and Amazon) who capture 80% to 90% of global digital ad revenue. Targeted advertising must be banned, and sensitive data must never be used for commercial purposes. By enforcing these rules, we can level the playing field, redirect advertising revenue to trustworthy journalism, and safeguard voters from manipulative influence.

6.    Encourage member states to invest in media and information literacy initiatives and offer EU-wide coordination. Citizens need the ability to recognise authoritative sources of crisis response information and to dismiss disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI).

Creating a democratic tech alliance

The S&D Group wants to work together with all democratic forces in the EU. That is why we aim to create a cross-party coalition to launch concrete proposals and to stand up to the immense geopolitical pressure on the European rules-based approach to social media.