Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium along with three cross-party MEPs, namely MEP Petras Auštrevičius (Renew Europe), MEP Vladimír Bilčík (EPP), and MEP Markéta Gregorová(Greens/EFA), jointly organised the seminar titled 'Countering FIMI and election interference in Taiwan: Implications for the EU ' at the European Parliament on 16 April 2024.
In opening the event, the three MEPs stated that with the European Parliament elections set to take place in June, issues related to foreign interference in democratic processes, election interference, and disinformation are of great concern in the lead up to the election. Highlighting the fact that Taiwan’s elections in January demonstrated the resilience of a democratic society, they expressed their firm beliefthat Taiwan and the EU can continue to exchange experiences on countering information manipulation and election interference, and welcomed the visit of the "Taiwan Counter-Information Manipulation NGO Expert delegation" as highly meaningful at this juncture. The five visiting experts from Taiwandelivered presentations at the seminar, with topicsincluding malicious election interference, fact-checking, disinformation campaigns, cognitive warfare, deepfake technology, and the impact of AI and digital technology development on democratic governance. They also engaged extensively in discussions with the audience during the event.
Attendees considered the seminar timely, especially given the upcoming European Parliament elections. The discussions focused on countering information manipulation and election interference, which not only helped the audience understand Taiwan's experiences in dealing with Chinese and other interferences, but also served as a reminder of the importance of like-minded countries continuing to cooperate with Taiwan to strengthen democratic resilience. This cooperation is crucial for safeguarding shared values and the democratic way of life.
