The European Commission unveiled its new Democracy Shield on Wednesday, a roadmap to better protect democracies and electoral processes from foreign interference and information manipulation — including those originating within the bloc itself.

At the heart of this strategy lies Russia and its “state or non-state proxies”, which for over a decade have conducted online destabilisation campaigns across the EU.

These efforts have been amplified by the rapid development of new technologies that make false information more convincing and its dissemination more viral.

Recent elections demonstrated how damaging online campaigns can be to democratic processes.

Last December in Romania, presidential elections were cancelled by the Constitutional Court after reports from intelligence services revealed Russian involvement in influencing voters through a propaganda campaign in favour of ultranationalist candidate Calin Georgescu.

Meanwhile, in Moldova, an EU candidate country, social media platforms were rife with disinformation in the run-up to the September parliamentary elections. Driven by artificial intelligence, bots were deployed to flood comment sections with posts deriding the EU and the pro-European party ahead of the vote.

What is Brussels’ Democracy Shield about?

“Our Europe may die,” French President Emmanuel Macron warned during his Sorbonne speech in April 2024, a concern the European Union wants to address.

The Commission writes that the Democracy Shield “is not only necessary to preserve the EU’s values, but also to ensure Europe’s security and to safeguard its independence, freedom and prosperity.”

In the 30-page document, the Commission lays out its plan to “enhance democratic resilience across the Union”. Despite the strong rhetoric, the initiative comes with few concrete measures.

The centrepiece of the Democracy Shield is the creation of a European Centre for Democratic Resilience. Its purpose will be to identify destabilisation operations, pool expertise from member states, and coordinate the work of fact-checking networks already established by the Commission.

However, participation in this centre is purely voluntary for members. French MEP Nathalie Loiseau (Renew Europe), who heads the Democracy Shield committee, believes that the Commission should have gone further.

“There is a certain timidity about this Democracy Shield. It is true that some powers remain national and that the European Union cannot impose itself,” Louiseau told Euronews.

“But let us remember that, just as with online platforms — where the Commission long relied on their goodwill only to realise it did not exist — it is time to build something that truly protects individuals, European citizens, including against states that would seek to undermine democracy.”

The EU executive put a strong emphasis on including EU candidates in this defensive plan, but also potentially “cooperation with like-minded partners could also be foreseen, and that is something that we will develop over the period ahead,” European Commissioner for democracy and rule of law Michael McGrath told journalists.

McGrath, who is in charge of the file, also explained that the nature of the centre would evolve in the future, “as the nature of the threat that it will be dealing with is constantly evolving.”

The Commission also proposed “setting up a voluntary network of influencers to raise awareness about relevant EU rules and promote the exchange of best practice,” to hold influencers participating in political campaigns accountable.

Big promises, small purse

However, both the specific measures and their funding remain unclear. “There has to be funding to actually do this, otherwise it just ends up being hot air,” Omri Preiss, managing director of Alliance4Democracy nonprofit, told Euronews.

Although he recognised that it was an important step, Preiss highlighted that the Russian government spends an estimated two to three billion euros a year on such influence operations, while “the EU is not really doing anything equivalent.”

The allocation of funds will also depend on the outcome of the Commission budget discussion – currently under negotiation.

For Loiseau, protecting democracy means that the Commission must first apply the rules it adopted to regulate its online sphere.

“I’m a little afraid Ursula von der Leyen’s hand may have trembled, because what we are seeing today is, of course, massive Russian interference,” she said.

“But it’s also the behaviour of platforms like TikTok, which raises many questions -and, even more so, the collusion between the US administration and American platforms,” Loiseau added.

“On that front, it seems Ursula von der Leyen struggles to take the next step. She tells us that she will implement the legislation we have adopted and I should hope so. But we must go further.”

Several rules aimed at protecting electoral processes have already been adopted. Since 2023, the Digital Services Act has required greater transparency in recommendation algorithms and includes provisions to reduce the risks of political manipulation.

Meanwhile, the AI Act, adopted last year, mandates the labelling of AI-generated deep fakes. The European Media Freedom Act, which came into force this summer, is designed to ensure both transparency and media freedom across the bloc.

Yet, under pressure from US tech giants backed by the Trump administration, Commission sanctions have to materialise — despite serious suspicions of information manipulation and algorithmic interference.

“These rules reflect the will of those who elected us. Enforcing them is the first step in building a shield for democracy,” the centrist group Renew in the European Parliament said.

“It is imperative to ensure that the European Media Freedom Act is fully implemented across the European Union,” the group wrote in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“The actions will be gradually rolled out by 2027,” Commissioner McGrath said. This year will be a decisive test of the Shield’s resilience in the information war, as citizens in key EU member states — notably France, Italy and Spain — head to the polls.

Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel‘s close friend and the bandleader of his talk show, has died. He was 59.

Kimmel shared the news on Instagram, writing, “Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III. To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old. The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true. Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”

Escobedo and Kimmel were childhood friends and neighbors growing up in Las Vegas. As Kimmel went into comedy, Escobedo formed the band Cleto and the Cletones in 1995, mostly playing saxophone. When Kimmel launched “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC in 2003, he asked Escobedo to lead the house band. “I always thank him for this gig because he could have tried to get somebody that was established and would help the show more, being a bigger name or whatever,” Escobedo told ABC7 in a 2013 interview. “But he trusted me with this job, and I’ve tried to do the best I can.”

Escobedo’s cause of death is unknown, but Variety has confirmed that his condition was the “personal reason” Kimmel’s show was abruptly canceled on Thursday. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” returned on Monday with a new episode, and will also broadcast a new episode on Tuesday, with Kimmel expected to address his friend and bandleader’s passing.

Escobedo played the alto, tenor and soprano saxophones and also sang as part of the band. Outside of performing on Kimmel’s show, Escobedo toured with Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Phillip Bailey. Escobedo’s father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., is also a part of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” house band.

In 2016, Kimmel celebrated Escobedo’s 50th birthday on air with a tribute: “I met Cleto in January of 1977 when my family moved from Brooklyn to Las Vegas. Cleto lived across the street from us… We began a lifetime of friendship that was highlighted by the kind of torture that only an older brother can inflict on you without being arrested.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Tuesday that it had thwarted “another ceasefire violation” in the Gaza Strip after a “terrorist” crossed the “yellow line” that separates control of the territory.

The incident is the second of its kind to have been reported over the last two days. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Oct. 10.

“IDF troops eliminated a terrorist who was identified crossing the yellow line and approaching IDF troops in southern Gaza, which posed an immediate threat to them,” the Israeli military wrote on X on Tuesday.

“The IDF must remain deployed, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, to continue to operate to remove any immediate threat to the State of Israel,” it added.

ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES ANNOUNCES RESUMPTION OF CEASEFIRE FOLLOWING STRIKES

On Monday, the IDF said, “Two terrorists were identified crossing the yellow line and approaching IDF troops in southern Gaza, posing an immediate threat to them.”

“Following the identification, the IDF struck and eliminated the terrorists in order to remove the threat,” it continued.

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said, “Israel has always been committed to the terms of the ceasefire agreement and has been equally ready to enforce the ceasefire when Hamas repeatedly violates those terms.”

“The terrorist organization was forced to accept this agreement following the IDF’s significant military achievements and the tremendous diplomatic efforts by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu — and Israel will do whatever is necessary to bring the remaining hostages home and prevent Hamas from re-arming,” he added.

TWO IDF SOLDIERS KILLED AMID ‘SEVERE’ CEASEFIRE VIOLATION, ‘IT’S NOT THE LAST,’ ANALYST SAYS

Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, founder and chairman of IDSF (Israel’s Defense and Security Forum), previously told Fox News Digital that Israeli forces had controlled nearly 80% of the Gaza Strip before their pullback to the designated “yellow line” — a position, he said, that helped compel Hamas to agree to the ceasefire.

“The withdrawal enables Israel to maintain control over 53% of the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi Corridor, most of Rafah, half of Khan Younis, and sections of northern Gaza,” Avivi said. “Israel holds the high ground overlooking the coastal area, allowing the IDF to best protect Israeli towns.”

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He added that Hamas’ ability to smuggle weapons through the Egyptian border has been significantly curtailed.

Fox News’ Amelie Botbol contributed to this report.