In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron advocated for stricter regulations on social media platforms to prevent foreign interference, as France confronts ongoing efforts to influence its municipal election campaign.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to reinforce the enforcement of EU digital regulations aimed at countering foreign election meddling ahead of crucial elections scheduled for 2026 and 2027, according to a letter dated March 16 and reviewed by Euronews.
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This appeal arises amid rising concerns in France regarding possible election interference ahead of next year’s presidential election. French security agencies have detected multiple incidents of interference—including originating from Russia—during the active municipal campaign, with the runoff election scheduled for Sunday.
“In a geopolitical climate characterized by an increase in antagonistic actions against the European model and its democratic principles, it is essential that the Union, alongside each Member State, prepares to safeguard the integrity of public discourse and electoral procedures, ensure the fairness of elections, and provide strong protection against interference operations and misinformation,” Macron stated.
Eleven EU nations will hold elections in 2026, followed by other major elections in France, Italy, and Poland in 2027, where Eurosceptic parties are currently polling with significant support.
Demand for swift EU intervention
Macron pressed von der Leyen to revise the guidelines initially established ahead of the 2024 European elections, pushing platforms such as Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok to bolster their actions under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), the landmark content regulation framework.
“The objective is not to overhaul the DSA, but rather to guarantee its full application concerning the duties imposed on platforms—specifically, the evaluation and mitigation of systemic risks potentially undermining electoral integrity,” a French official commented.
The letter explicitly demands measures to limit algorithm-driven virality, mandate labels on content created or altered by artificial intelligence, eliminate fake accounts, and enforce transparency requirements for political advertising as outlined in the DSA.
“Based on the reports received, the Commission must be empowered to implement all measures permitted under the Digital Services Act (DSA), including injunctions, safeguard actions, and sanctions,” the same official added.
Under the DSA, digital platforms face penalties reaching up to 6% of their global annual turnover.
Investigations into suspected interference have already commenced in recent years, including against Meta before the 2024 European Parliament elections and against TikTok over its management of election-related risks throughout Romania’s November 2024 presidential vote.
In Romania, apprehensions regarding TikTok’s influence on the first-round victory of ultranationalist and pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu prompted, in 2024, the annulment of the election after declassified intelligence documents suggested his benefit from coordinated accounts and algorithmic amplification on the platform.
Emmanuel Macron emphasized that Brussels and EU capitals must develop “an effective supplementary rapid response unit” to prevent foreign interference of this nature.