The plan includes a co-regulatory framework for online platforms to tackle disinformation.
A plan made up of three pillars: On 3 December 2020, the European Commission presented its European Democracy Action Plan. The main objective of the plan is to build more resilient democracies across the EU. The plan rests on three key pillars – promoting free and fair elections, strengthening media freedom, and countering disinformation.
What the EC will do: The plan will result in measures related to political advertising addressed to the sponsors of paid content and to the distribution channels, including online platforms. The EC will also make recommendations to strengthen the safety of journalists, and overhaul the existing Code of Practice on Disinformation to which the main online platforms currently sign up. There will be new requirements for online platforms with regard to monitoring and oversight.
The Code of Practice will be turned into a co-regulatory framework: New obligations and accountability will be set out for online platforms, in line with the upcoming Digital Services Act that will be presented on 15 December 2020. The EC will issue guidance to enhance the Code by Q2 2021 and introduce a new framework to monitor its implementation.
