The majority of Europeans fear the interference of disinformation campaigns, data breaches and cyber attacks with the elections for the European parliament, being held at the end of May 2019. This stems from the latest Eurobarometer survey, exploring voter expectations and their motivation to participate in these elections.
In the year 2014, less than half of all Europeans took part in the elections to the European parliament, while in Slovakia only 13% of citizens participated. The latest survey focused on finding methods to increase voter turnout. It showed that 43% of respondents require more information about the European Union and about its impact on their everyday life. About one third of respondents in European countries, as well as in Slovakia, wish for more young candidates for MEPs. Moreover, 21% of Slovak voters would welcome a higher number of women among the candidates.
Cyber attacks are a cause for concern for 61% of Europeans, while 67% fear their personal data being used for targeted political messages. At the same time, the majority of Europeans agree that increased transparency of social media platforms could help to solve this problem. More than three quarters of Slovaks suggest clear sponsoring of online adverts as well as equal access to internet services to all political parties. Also, 75% of Slovak respondents would welcome the same silence period for online media as is the case with traditional media.
In September, the European Commission already put forward a set of measures to make sure that next year's European Parliament elections are organised in a free, fair and secure manner. It also established a European electoral cooperation network with the first meeting set for January 2019.
