Information Integrity Online and the European Democracy Shield (EPRS_BRI(2024)767153)

This December 2024 EPRS briefing performs an important integrative function: it maps how the emerging European Democracy Shield connects to and builds on the existing regulatory architecture — the Digital Services Act, the AI Act, the European Media Freedom Act, and the European Digital Media Observatory — producing the first comprehensive picture of how these instruments interact as a counter-FIMI system.

The briefing's value is architectural. Individual pieces of EU regulation are well-documented; what is less well understood is how they fit together, where they reinforce each other, and where the gaps remain. For practitioners advising on EU regulatory compliance or policy design, understanding the EDS as an integrated system rather than a collection of discrete instruments is essential. The briefing also provides useful context for the June 2025 EPRS briefing on the EDS itself — reading them in sequence gives the most complete picture of where EU counter-FIMI policy architecture currently stands.