MEPs on the European Parliament's Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield pressed Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen for faster action on electoral-integrity investigations and concrete measures against troll farms, while Virkkunen defended the DSA's systemic risk-mitigation model and cited ongoing probes. The exchange on 27 April 2026 revealed divergences on the pace of enforcement, transparency of investigations, and the scale of investment in tech sovereignty.
Nathalie Loiseau (Renew) urged faster public disclosure of electoral-integrity investigations, arguing democracy was at stake. Virkkunen countered that due process must be respected, pointing to the €120 million fine against X and ongoing probes. Tomáš Zdechovský (EPP) and Eszter Lakos (EPP) demanded concrete action against troll farms targeting Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, but Virkkunen stressed the DSA's systemic risk-mitigation model, which requires platforms to assess and address risks rather than targeting specific content. Helmut Brandstätter (Renew) raised abusive anti-EU content on X and questioned the powers of the Centre for Democratic Resilience; Virkkunen described it as a coordination hub without decision-making authority.
On tech sovereignty, Assita Kanko (ECR) called for a €20-30 billion flagship investment, while Virkkunen pointed to an upcoming package on cloud, AI, and chips, acknowledging funding limits. Alexandra Geese (Greens/EFA) pushed for transparency on data centre energy and water use, criticizing Regulation 2024/1364 for treating KPIs as confidential; Virkkunen agreed on sustainability but drew a line at business secrets.
Consensus emerged on prioritizing democracy protection and DSA enforcement, though disagreements persisted on pace, transparency, and the scale of resilience structures. The committee is scheduled to hold its next session on 4 May.