European democracy faces unprecedented challenges in the digital age, particularly in the realm of online campaigning. As we approach the 2024 EU Parliament elections, addressing threats such as foreign interference, misinformation, disinformation, and opaque use of generative AI appears badly needed. Citizens’ trust in democratic processes forms the bedrock of our societies, and it is imperative that all stakeholders commit to upholding the highest standards of conduct. In this spirit, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), in collaboration with European political parties and the EU Commission, has prepared a Code of Conduct.
Background
While various EU measures are in place to address emerging democratic challenges online, such as the Digital Services Act and the strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation, gaps still remain. Soft law solutions, such as a code of conduct co-created by EU political parties, can help set standards and monitor behaviour beyond legislative reach. The Code of Conduct stems from the Commission Recommendation (EU) 2023/2829 on inclusive and resilient electoral processes in the Union, presented within the framework of the Defence of Democracy Package in December 2023. It draws inspiration from existing examples like the Dutch Code of Conduct and it is a collaborative effort aimed at reinforcing the European nature and efficient conduct of the elections to the European Parliament.
Key Commitments
The Code of Conduct lays out a set of commitments that signatories, including European and national political parties and their member parties, pledge to uphold. These commitments cover various aspects of political campaigning, both online and offline, ensuring a level playing field and safeguarding against interference or manipulation.
Commitments by Topic:
- General Commitments on Fair and Transparent Campaigning: Maintain the integrity of elections by adhering to existing rules and norms, ensuring fair campaigning, and financial transparency. Promote inclusive political discourse, banning discriminatory speech and incitement of violence, while ensuring safe electoral processes. Refrain from voter dissuasion and dissemination of inaccurate information.
- Ethical Use of Technology: Ensure ethical and transparent use of campaign tools and technologies, including artificial intelligence. Prohibit misleading content, deep fakes, fake accounts, bots, trolling, and cyberbullying. Actively avoid amplifying narratives from non-EU entities seeking to undermine European values. Utilise resources to counter the negative effects of AI-generated deceptive content.
- Transparency Commitments: Ensure transparency in political advertising, including intermediaries, funding sources, spending, and targeting. Adhere to online platforms’ transparency policies and mechanisms. Ensure transparency of received financial contributions.
- Cybersecurity: Take proactive measures to meet minimum standards on cybersecurity, including through training.
- Compliance and Oversight: Support independent observation of commitments. Foster internal awareness and adherence to the Code of Conduct. Remove or request removal of any content violating commitments. Prevent misuse of public resources in campaigns. Conduct a post-election review and continue discussions within European political parties after the European Parliament elections.
Signing Ceremony
Today, two months prior to the elections, European political parties will jointly sign the Code of Conduct for the 2024 European Parliament elections, during a signing ceremony at the European Commission’s Berlaymont building, hosted by European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová.
The Code of Conduct for the 2024 European Parliament Elections represents a significant step towards safeguarding the integrity and fairness of the electoral process. It underscores the collective responsibility of political parties in upholding democratic values and principles. Adherence to such codes becomes not just a moral imperative but a necessity for the sustenance of democracy itself.
European democracy faces unprecedented challenges in the digital age, particularly in the realm of online campaigning. As we approach the 2024 EU Parliament , addressing threats such as foreign interference, misinformation, disinformation, and opaque use of generative AI appears badly needed. Citizens’ trust in democratic processes forms the bedrock of our societies, and it is imperative that all stakeholders commit to upholding the highest standards of conduct. In this spirit, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (), in collaboration with European political parties and the EU Commission, has prepared a Code of Conduct.
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