Citizens are calling on the European Union to curtail the influence of the platform X on the federal election in Germany. Many citizens have written to the President of the European Parliament on this subject since January 2025, asking her to act now to ensure that X meets its obligations concerning transparency, content moderation and risk mitigation during elections.
We replied to citizens who took the time to write to the President:
Main elements of our reply
Enforcing the Digital Services Act (DSA)
The European Commission is responsible for overseeing the enforcement of the Digital Services Act. In December 2023, the Commission opened formal proceedings against X to assess whether it is meeting its obligations concerning transparency, content moderation and risk mitigation during elections.
Further action may also be taken at national level by the German Digital Services Coordinator.
What is the European Parliament doing?
The European Parliament is committed to safeguarding democracy and ensuring that online platforms operate responsibly.
In December 2024, the European Parliament set up a Special committee on the European Democracy Shield. The committee will assess policies aimed at preserving the fairness and integrity of elections. It will focus on interference in democracy and elections through very large online platforms, such as X.
On 21 January 2025, the European Parliament held a debate on the need to enforce the Digital Services Act to protect democracy on social media platforms, including against foreign interference and biased algorithms. You can watch the debate in all official EU languages and access the full text of the debate in the original language of the speakers.
Background
Citizens often send messages to the President of the European Parliament expressing their views and/or requesting action. The Citizens’ Enquiries Unit (AskEP) within the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) replies to these messages, which may sometimes be identical as part of wider public campaigns.
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