Democracy Interference Observatory (DIO)
What We Do
DIO is established to systematically document, analyse, and publicly scrutinise how the European Union and EU-linked actors may influence national elections within EU member states.
Our Mission
We start from a simple democratic premise: while the EU is a political and legal order with certain competences, it must not shape or skew national electoral outcomes through asymmetric pressure, selective enforcement, financial leverage, or information control. Elections must be decided by the voters in the respective member states, not managed indirectly through supranational mechanisms from Brussels.
Our Aim
DIO monitors how EU-level governance affects national elections.
- We examine the application of EU digital frameworks during election periods, including the Digital Services Act, rapid response mechanisms, “trusted flaggers,” and EU-supported fact-checking and disinformation networks. We assess risks of over-removal, asymmetric amplification, lack of due process, and chilling effects on lawful political speech. Defending free expression is central to our mission.
- We track funding ecosystems linked to EU institutions — including EU spending, EU-funded NGOs, media, and advocacy networks active around elections. Our focus is transparency, timing, agenda-setting effects, and whether funding structures may advantage certain political narratives over others.
- We document institutional pressure and conditionality, such as infringement procedures, rule-of-law mechanisms, hearings, resolutions, and financial leverage tied to EU funds. We evaluate both their legal basis and their political signalling effects, particularly in proximity to electoral cycles.
- We analyse narratives and attribution claims, including allegations of foreign interference, the evidentiary standards behind countermeasures, and whether responses are proportionate and accountable.
Democracy requires scrutiny — especially of those who claim to protect it.