“The EU leader should be elected by European citizens and not appointed by a committee.” Word of Elon Musk, who once again enters politics with a straight leg, commenting on the nomination of the President of the European Commission, elected after the European Council proposes a candidate and the European Parliament elects him. This time, the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, ended up in the crosshairs of the richest man in the world, after she presented the European shield to defend democracy from disinformation, one of the flagship initiatives of von der Leyen’s new mandate.
The object of Musk’s ire: the “European Democracy Shield” strategy
Musk’s words, displayed on his social network X, come after the European Union presented the “European Democracy Shield” strategy on November 12th. This is an initiative aimed at involving online platforms and influencers in the fight against disinformation and the promotion of democracy. It was the leader of the Commission who pushed in this direction, in the face of growing concern about foreign interference in national elections.
According to the European Commission, companies such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, Elon Musk’s The plan provides a protocol for managing incidents and crises, facilitating coordination between authorities and a rapid response to large-scale operations. Signatories of the voluntary Code of Conduct on disinformation, including major digital platforms, could be called upon to identify and report content generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence. The Commission has also highlighted the role of influencers in online political campaigns, providing for the creation of a voluntary network to carry out a correct discussion of European issues and norms.
