16 Members of Club de Madrid call for safeguarding democracy in the new EU tech rules

“With the DSA and the DMA, the EU has an opportunity to create the transparency and accountability frameworks needed to ensure internet platforms, take appropriate measures to safeguard democratic processes and human rights, and address the challenging concentration of power,” the letter states.

Club de Madrid together with the European Partnership for Democracy have been jointly advocating for EU tech policy to help mitigate the threats to democracy created and amplified by these platforms. These challenges to democracy range from political manipulation in elections and disinformation to polarisation and a flailing media landscape.

On 15 December 2020, the European Commission will put forward the landmark DSA and DMA proposals, which may fundamentally alter the European tech space. With this letter to President von der Leyen, former European leaders warn the European Commission not to simply take a market regulation perspective, but centre the regulatory pieces on safeguarding European democracy. Leaders insist that the Commission stand up to big tech’s major lobbying power, and put forward regulation that holds these major players accountable.

Read Letter

See an article by Reuters on the letter

Please see below the list of signing Members:

Esko Aho, Prime Minister of Finland (1991-1995)

Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2002-2010)

Valdis Birkavs, Prime Minister of Latvia (1993-1994)

Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prime Minister of Norway (1997-2000; 2001-2005)

Felipe González, President of the Government of Spain (1982-1996)

Alfred Gusenbauer, Federal Chancellor of Austria (2007-2008)

Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of Poland (1995-2005)

Rexhep Meidani, President of Albania (1997-2002)

Zlatko Lagumdžija, Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001-2002)