On April 29th in Brussels, the CEE Digital Democracy Watch, a new non-profit dedicated to promoting perspectives from Central and Eastern Europe on content regulations in international lawmaking bodies, presented a report titled “Things to Watch For in European Parliament Elections.”
As we approach the 20th anniversary of the European Union’s enlargement and the upcoming 2025 Polish Presidency of the Council, this report features contributions from emerging digital policy analysts in the CEE region. It explores regional-specific perspective on risks such as foreign interference, the new regulation of election advertising, and the use of deepfakes in political debate.
“It is clear that digital democracy issues will drive the agenda of both the Parliament and the Commission in the new term. Ensuring clear and independent enforcement is a challenge, as highlighted by discussions with NGOs, academics, and business representatives in Vilnius, Warsaw, and Brussels,” stated Jakub Szymik, founder of CEE Digital Democracy Watch.
„Poland[‘s political scene] has unfortunately become an arena of competition using deepfakes and artificial intelligence tools. This development, while regrettable, reflects current realities and underscores the need for regulation, primarily at the EU level, and its solid implementation on national one,” commented Dariusz Standerski, Polish Deputy Minister for Digital Affairs, during last week’s Warsaw launch of the report.
The organisation, founded in February 2024, has also participated in the Commission’s public consultation on Digital Services Act (DSA) election guidelines and will monitor political advertising spending in the region throughout the European Parliament elections.