The European Commission warns of the threat of “increasingly complex and sophisticated” hybrid attacks and the increase in attempts at foreign interference in this super electoral year. In the coming months, there will be elections to the European Parliament (in June) in Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Lithuania or Romania. And in a geopolitical economic and security context marked by Russia’s war against Ukraine, Israel’s conflict in Gaza, tensions in the Middle East and with an increasingly assertive China, the risks that the European Union faces “internal and external ” are “changing” and more intense and abundant every day, warns a communication from the Community Executive that will be approved this Wednesday and to which EL PAIS has had access.
Brussels lists in its report on the evolution of the Union’s Security strategy the risks for the community club. And he warns of polarization and extremism. “Some member states face a significant threat from violent right-wing extremism,” warns the Community Executive. A warning that comes after several attacks on politicians throughout Europe who in some cases the authorities are investigating as linked to far-right groups. In a scenario of great polarization and in which the polls for the European elections in June (in Spain they vote on the 9th) predict an increase in the weight of ultras, populism and Euroscepticism.
Brussels also warns of the increase in “the glorification of terrorism and hate speech, particularly in the form of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred” since the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, which led to Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Community Executive also warns that the war against Ukraine has caused an increase in cyber attacks and has exposed the “potential vulnerability of some critical infrastructures of the EU,” the document says. In fact, the espionage services of several Member States have warned of the great risk of cyberattacks and sabotage ahead of the European elections in June and cases have already been registered in Germany or the Czech Republic.
Those threats to the EU that the Commission speaks of are increasingly diverse: organized crime, terrorism, ecological crimes, or the use of immigration as a “tool” to destabilize, summary.
“The instrumentalization of immigrants at our external borders highlighted new and hybrid forms of threats that, together with disinformation campaigns, aim to plant the seeds of division and mistrust in European societies,” says the text of the Community Executive. The Twenty-Seven, which will begin to implement the recently approved immigration pact that toughens reception conditions and establishes new tools to repatriate those who arrive, has turned to the right in its asylum policy.
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“The risk of foreign interference is particularly intense in the period leading up to the European elections,” the document warns. The text does not mention Russia, China or Iran, but their activities – well known in the community club – fly over the entire document. Furthermore, the Community Executive warns of the growing agreements and collaborations of criminal gangs and state actors “driven by interests that go beyond financial profits.”
“The possible exploitation by malicious actors of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, whether for cybercriminal purposes or information manipulation, poses new security challenges for our democracies, especially in a year marked by important electoral processes across Europe,” alerts the report.
The cyber threat landscape has worsened significantly in recent years, says the Commission, which speaks of the increase in attacks on the supply chain and the exploitation of vulnerabilities in software, operating systems for mobile devices or personal computers and networks virtual private. “Cyber attacks are increasing and target heavy industry, information services, government and healthcare,” the document says. A powerful attack, which is a form of hybrid warfare, can destabilize a country. “Most threats include a cyber element and a hybrid nature,” they point out. “The concept of security, traditionally focused on military and home affairs, has to keep pace with changing threats,” warns the Commission.
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