Speech at the plenary debate on foreign electoral interference and spread of disinformation in Europe
Freedom of expression is one of the pillars of democracy. We all know that, but we know the other side of it, too, which is disinformation, which has grown thanks to the perversions of the internet and the social media. This is merely the beginning of this phenomenon and it is urgent that we stand up against it. Thank you, therefore, to the Commission for having launched the battle against it, but how are you going to control the truth of information without having to use offices of censorship?
We are walking on eggshells here, but, in the end, democracy has been able to learn how to fight defamation without affecting the freedom of expression. The same task awaits us today: defining the offence and sanctioning it by an independent judiciary. This is our job as legislators, but the journalists – I am one of them – also have a role: reinventing a press whose professional engagement, vigour and clarity does not leave room for organised destabilisation, should it come from abroad or from elsewhere.
