Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001663/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Beatrice Timgren (ECR), Charlie Weimers (ECR), Dick Erixon (ECR)
The Commission recently launched a EUR 5 million call[1] under the Digital Europe Programme to strengthen the European Fact-Checking Standards Network[2].
Objectives covered by the funding from Brussels include expanding fact-checking capacity, developing sustainable business models and protecting fact checkers from harassment while providing them with legal and relocation support. The further funding of such centralised structures risks consolidating influence among a limited number of actors who lack democratic legitimacy and political neutrality. Unlike the transparent and consensus-based model used in Community Notes on X – now being adopted by other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram[3] – the Commission’s approach relies on opaque selection and review processes. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pointed out that fact checkers often exhibit a left-leaning bias.
The current US presidential administration has criticised centralised fact-checking as undemocratic. Continued EU reliance on such models may undermine free speech and further strain transatlantic ties.
Bearing in mind what has been said above:
- 1.Why has the Commission adopted a critical view of relatively more transparent and open-source alternatives to fact-checking, such as Community Notes?
- 2.Has the Commission assessed the risk of its model being perceived as institutionalised censorship, with negative implications for public confidence and EU-US relations?
- 3.How will the Commission evaluate fact checkers’ independence and neutrality when offering them legal and relocation support under the proposed fact checkers protection scheme?
Submitted: 24.4.2025
- [1] European Commission, EU Funding & Tenders Portal, Call for proposal: European Network of Factcheckers, https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-08-FACTCHECKERS?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&frameworkProgramme=43152860&order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate.
- [2] European Commission, Digital Europe Programme: Call for proposals – Accelerating the Best Use of Technologies, 1 April 2025, https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/digital/wp-call/2025/call-fiche_digital-2025-bestuse-08_en.pdf.
- [3] Meta, ‘More Speech and Fewer Mistakes’, 7 January 2025, https://about.fb.com/news/2025/03/testing-begins-community-notes-facebook-instagram-threads/.