The European Parliament has created a special committee to combat disinformation

Next year, the European Parliament will have a special committee on the European Shield of Democracy. The initiative, which is designed to counter information interference and combat disinformation, is part of the European Commission's guiding political principles for 2024-2029.

The decision to establish it at the plenary session in Strasbourg was supported by 441 deputies, 178 were «against», 34 abstained, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

«The special committee will have the duties of evaluating current legislation in order to identify possible loopholes, gaps and duplications that can be used for malicious interference in democratic processes, establish cooperation between the Union's bodies and national authorities, promote democratic resilience through situational awareness, media and information literacy», – the relevant decision of the European Parliament says.

The committee will also examine interference using online platforms and their impact on democratic processes, hybrid threats and attacks, as well as content created by artificial intelligence,

The Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield will consist of 33 members and will have a 12-month term of office.

The list of its committee will be determined by the political groups and announced during the plenary week at the end of January.

Also on Wednesday, the European Parliament transformed the existing subcommittees on security and defence and on health into full-fledged subcommittees committees.