Foreign disinformation campaigns are seeking to influence the outcome of the upcoming European Parliament elections, EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova warned on Monday.

"We cannot allow for election results in even one member state to be distorted by manipulation. Not solely, but also in part because these elections will decide the destiny of Europe," Jourova told the newspapers of the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).

According to the justice commissioner, organized disinformation campaigns from abroad are seeking to exploit current divisions in society.

"This makes it hard to identify them. We are currently experiencing a digital arms race. Europe needs to be aware," Jourova said.

In the fight against disinformation, the EU has set up a unit called "StratCom" to uncover disinformation coming from Russia. The unit reviews Russian media as well as manipulated news in other publications and makes their findings public.

Read more: EU election voter apps: Swipe right to vote?

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Campaigns targeting Germany

The New York Times reported Sunday that numerous accounts linked to Russia or far-right groups have been spreading false information and divisive stories ahead of the European election.

The paper reported that in Germany, the suspected accounts support the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as well as far-left antifa groups in a bid to provoke divisions. Experts cited in the report said that the current campaigns in many ways mirror the pattern of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius called for vigilance ahead of the EU-wide vote, saying that the upcoming vote will be a big test for the bloc.

"The European election is a test run of whether defense mechanisms against Russian interference work. We cannot be naive. Moscow is trying to create a permanent state of instability in the EU and exploit it for its own interests," Linkevicius told RND.

The European Parliament elections are due to take place from May 23 to 26.

Candidates for European Commission president Manfred Weber (EPP) The center-right European People's Party (EPP) — the largest faction in the European Parliament — has picked Manfred Weber, its German parliamentary party leader. He has the backing of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Though considered the front-runner, Weber is little known on the international stage, and his language skills are considered poor.

Candidates for European Commission president Frans Timmermans (S&D) Frans Timmermans, the European Commission's first vice president, will lead the campaign for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D). Weber's main rival promises to bring the bloc closer to ordinary voters at a time when Britain's looming exit is one factor behind the nationalist movements across the EU.

Candidates for European Commission president Margrethe Vestager (ALDE) Margrethe Vestager, 51, is one of seven lead candidates for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. As the current EU commissioner for competition, the Danish MEP has taken on corporations like Apple, Amazon and Google parent Alphabet. It's also been said that she served as the inspiration for the main character in Borgen , a Danish series where a woman becomes Denmark's first female leader.

Candidates for European Commission president Jan Zahradil (ECR) The third-largest group in the EU Parliament, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), has just one candidate: Jan Zahradil, chairman of the Czech ECR delegation. Zahradil, 65, is affectionately known as "Forrest Gump" for cycling from Prague to Strasbourg for a session of the European Parliament and for once running 1,300 kilometers (about 800 miles) across the Czech Republic for charity.

Candidates for European Commission president Ska Keller (Greens/EFA) The Greens/EFA is the seventh largest group in European Parliament, so the German is a long shot to become European Commission president. The Greens have proposed a job share, with two candidates serving for two-and-a-half years each. The most favorite to join Keller is Dutch lawmaker Bas Eickhout.

Candidates for European Commission president Violeta Tomic and Nico Cue (GUE/NGL) The EU's left-wing groups will be headed by Spanish trade unionist Nico Cue and Violeta Tomic (at left). Tomic is a deputy in Slovenia's National Assembly, best known as a TV presenter and actress. She entered into politics in 2014 and has been an advocate for LGBT rights and stronger citizens' rights in Europe. Cue grew up in Belgium after his family was forced to flee Franco's Soain. Author: Keith Walker



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