European Parliament-organised Conference on Countering Fake Election Observation recommends EU member state parliaments commit to a binding code of conduct for election observation.

The Conference on Countering Fake Election Observation, was organised by the European Parliament’s Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) and the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) in the European Parliament in Brussels on 4 and 5 June.

“Fake observers are not a fringe nuisance. They are a strategic tool to whitewash fraud and discredit genuine election monitoring. A deliberate attempt to divert democracy itself,” Foreign Affairs Committee Chair and DEG Co-Chair David McAllister (EPP, Germany) said in his opening remarks.

Participants, including MEPs and international election experts from civil society organisations, called for the European Parliament to share best practices regarding election observation with member state counterparts. This includes the adoption of mechanisms for the exclusion of MPs from official election observation missions if they violate the code of conduct and undermine the integrity of genuine election observation.

Discussions also focused on disinformation and broader hybrid threats to electoral processes. Experts presented a series of policy recommendations, highlighting the need for rapid response mechanisms against foreign attacks on the national and European information space, strengthened regional cooperation networks, and coordinated responses at the EU level.

Read the full press release on the website of the European Parliament.

Photos: Alain ROLLAND, © European Union 2025 – Source : EP