EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,update

 

Press service European Parliament

Press release 10-07-2026 EUDS   Special committee on the European Democracy Shield     Next week's highlights   Thursday 16 July  2026, 09.30 – 12.00 European Parliament in Brussels, SPINELLI building, room 1G-3 Agenda | Meeting documents | Webstreaming | Committee homepage Debates 09.30 – 12.00 Countering drone threats MEPs will hold an exchange of views with Georgios Giannopoulos, Acting Director at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, on the JRC’s work on drones, counter drone technologies and autonomous systems. The discussion will focus on the security risks posed by the illegal or malicious drone use. The JRC supports the Commission by assessing, testing and validating counter drone technologies and operational approaches. On 11 February 2026, the European Commission adopted an Action Plan on Drones and Counter Drones, extending EU action beyond aerial systems to unmanned systems operating on land, on the surface and underwater. How algorithms fuel polarisation and affect democracy MEPs will hear a presentation by Mario Scharfbillig, co-author of the JRC report Fractured reality: how algorithms fuel polarisation and affect democracy, followed by an exchange of views. The report examines how digital technologies are reshaping Europe’s information space and affecting democratic debate. The exchange of views will focus on the evolving impact of digital technologies on European democracy. The report analyses the growing influence of the attention economy and the fragmentation of shared realities and sets out recommendations to strengthen democratic resilience, user agency and EU digital sovereignty. Google AI Overviews, publishers’ revenue and media freedom The newly published briefing “The impact of Google AI Summaries and Google AI Overviews on Publishers’ Revenue and Media Freedom” will be presented and discussed with MEPs. The text examines how AI generated summaries are changing access to public interest information by providing answers directly within Google Search, potentially reducing visits to publishers’ websites and shifting attention and commercial value towards the platform. Requested by the EUDS Special Committee and published in April 2026, the briefing presents Google AI Overviews as a challenge for independent journalism, media pluralism and democratic resilience. It also points to gaps in the EU framework and the need for stronger transparency, oversight and protection for publishers. Democracy Shield and EU candidate countries with Marta Kos EUDS MEPs will hold an exchange of views with the Commissioner for Enlargement, on the aspects of the European Democracy Shield concerning EU candidate countries. The discussion will focus on strengthening cooperation with candidate and potential candidate countries and the role of the Shield in supporting their democratic resilience and EU accession. Several initiatives under the Shield extend beyond the EU, reflecting candidate countries’ exposure to disinformation and foreign interference. These include cooperation through the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, the extension of the European Digital Media Observatory to countries including Ukraine and Moldova, and support for independent journalism and fact checking through the European Network of Fact Checkers and the Media Resilience Programme. Further information  Special committee on the European Democracy Shield  Follow the EUDS committee on Bluesky  Follow the EUDS committee on X  Subscribe to news and press releases from EUDS  Calendar of EUDS committee meetings in 2026