Far right pushes for debate on ‘election interference’ by Brussels

BRUSSELS — The European Parliament’s far-right groups are seeking a public debate over what they claim is national election interference by Brussels, in the wake of a divisive report from the U.S. Congress.

It marks the latest escalation of a fight over the EU’s social media regulations and the limits of online speech. The EU institutions and political groups to the center and left claim the bloc’s laws to regulate online hate speech and illegal content are protecting people, whereas groups to the right say these laws are politically biased and hinder free expression.

A U.S. committee in February released a report alleging that the Commission was using its regulations, including the Digital Services Act, to meddle in national elections. The Commission has repeatedly denied these allegations.

In a note Wednesday, the Patriots for Europe group said it was formally requesting a plenary debate “on the European Commission’s interference in national elections across Europe” following the report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee — citing evidence from the report that “the Commission intervened around national elections, pressuring platforms to police lawful political speech during campaign periods.”

The Commission maintains that it doesn’t interfere in national elections and that its work is to support EU countries in tackling misinformation.

The hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists and the far-right Europe of Sovereign Nations backed the proposal for a debate but it didn’t get enough support for it to be added to the Parliament’s agenda next week.

The Patriots are instead considering using their right to hold a so-called topical debate on the matter in April, Belgian far-right lawmaker Tom Vandendriessche told POLITICO. That would be part of a “step-by-step-plan” to keep the topic high on the political agenda, he said.

Hungarian lawmaker Kinga Gál, a vice president of the Patriots, said on X she confronted the European Commission’s Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen on Wednesday on the findings but received “no substantive answer.”

“They do everything to sweep this matter under the rug. We, the Patriots, will not let this happen,” Gál said.

“The refusal to permit a simple debate at the next plenary speaks volumes. Institutions with nothing to hide do not fear questions. We will make sure those questions are asked and answered,” Polish far-right MEP Stanisław Tyszka told POLITICO.