He says that much has been done in recent years to strengthen such a policy, but that it has never been specifically targeted at countries. ‘We have a Digital Services Act founded to regulate platforms like Facebook and Twitter, we’ve done a lot for media literacy, for free democracy, but we’ve found that it’s always the same countries that bother us. We’ve actually known this for a long time, but now we’re going to work on it.’
Groothuis refers to China, Russia and Iran. “We are making our democracy and our economy more and more difficult, while the danger comes from these three countries,” he continues. “So it would be better for us to define a specific policy for these three countries.”
Qatar
While Groothuis does not mention Qatar in the same list, he does acknowledge the gravity of the Qatargate scandal, in which Qatar and Morocco have tried to gain influence in the European Parliament. “We made things very easy for them because anyone can enter the European Parliament,” she continues. “Until recently there were Russian trainees, there was a Chinese employee who, paid by parliament, ran the China Friendship Group, and there is no counterintelligence service there. That level of maturity has to go up considerably.’
Ukraine
Where the bar needs to be raised, Groothuis points out that it’s not all doom and gloom in Europe. “When it comes to disinformation, the war in Ukraine has made it clear that Putin has had a hard time striking here,” he says. ‘Partly because of all the measures we’ve taken. But what we see is that in the southern hemisphere – what we used to call the third world – there is sympathy for Putin. He has increased considerably, so we have to work not only on our continent but also in distant places. Because we are losing that battle against disinformation.
Product
Groothuis hopes Europe will develop awareness that China and Russia are targeting two-thirds of the world’s population for their side. ‘And the European Union must do exactly the same in the battle for information domination. Ensure that the influence of Russia and China is reduced.’