France is demanding that the EU impose new sanctions against Russia.
Ahead of the upcoming European Parliament elections, France is asking the EU to impose new sanctions on individuals and entities allegedly involved in a Russian campaign to spread disinformation and interfere in the elections, Bloomberg reported, citing a draft document.
The Russian Federation has repeatedly rejected Western accusations of interference and disinformation, calling those allegations baseless.
The elections for the next term of the European Parliament will be held from June 6-9, after which the composition of the European Commission will be renewed and a new President of the European Council will be appointed.
"France is asking the European Union to establish a new sanctions regime targeting Russian campaigns to spread disinformation and interfere in elections around the world," the news agency reported.
According to Bloomberg, this proposal has been supported by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Poland.
Sources noted that European officials are particularly concerned about the EU elections scheduled for June because the amount of content intended to spread misinformation on social media is believed to have increased compared to five years ago.
According to the news agency, the campaign team of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is seeking re-election, is aware of the potential threat and this week discussed the matter with US President Joe Biden.
One of Bloomberg's interlocutors said that questions about allegations of disinformation and the risk of interference in the election process were also raised in conversations between European Parliament leader Roberta Metsola and European leaders.
