The European Democracy Shield (EUDS), the European Commission’s latest initiative to “promote democracy”, has strong ties to US left-wing billionaire George Soros, according to French MEP Virginie Joron.
Documents seen by Brussels Signal revealed that organisations involved in the Democracy Shield — from its key contributors to the NGOs invited to meetings — can be traced back to Soros’ Open Society (OSF) network.
These organisations were present at a seminar on December 6, 2024, hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The discussion was entitled Forging the European Democracy Shield: Expanding Scope, Deepening Impact, and Maximising Political Leverage, and included contributions from the Kofi Annan Foundation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and the European Partnership for Democracy.
These three organisations have received funding from the OSF, the philanthropic entity founded by Soros.
Between 2016 and 2023, the Kofi Annan Foundation alone received more than $4 million (€3.8 million) in various grants from the OSF.
The European Partnership for Democracy also counted it among its financial supporters. In 2022, the OSF granted $250,000 (€238,500) to the organisation to bolster its efforts on European Union digital policies aimed at promoting democratic principles.
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) said it saw OSF and USAID as its primary project funders, labelled “top project contributors”.
For the first meeting of the EUDS on February 17 this year in the European Parliament, the Romanian NGO Expert Forum and France’s digital watchdog Viginium were invited.
Viginium recently published a report suggesting that alleged foreign influence campaigns during Romania’s presidential now-annulled election in 2024 could easily spread to other European Union member states including France.
In its report, Viginium cited the NGO the Centre for AI and Digital Humanism (CAIDP), headed by Joanna Bryson, former ethics and technology professor at the Hertie School, a German private, independent graduate school for governance, which received Grants for the OSF.
Also present was the Romanian NGO Expert Forum, which has received funding from the OSF including a grant of $99,920 (€95,300) in 2017.
“What kind of neutrality is there when experts are invited to speak but are funded by Soros? Who are we kidding?” Patriots MEP, Virginie Joron said.
Although the EUDS is only an advisory body, it can make recommendations on best practices for protecting democracy and encouraging fair political discourse in the EU.
These recommendations can be used by the European Parliament and the EC to draft or refine legislation and policies.
The connections have raised questions among European observers about the influence of Soros’ foundations in shaping the EU’s new democracy enforcement tool.
The chair of the European Democracy Shield Committee, Nathalie Loiseau, has also been revealed to have ties with Soros’s money.
She is linked to OSF through her affiliation with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), which has received multiple grants from the Soros-led organisation between 2019 and 2022.
When right-wing politician Marion Maréchal highlighted her ties to Soros, Loiseau dismissed the comment.
“Interference and disinformation: no doubt, Marion Maréchal is an expert! From Putin to Musk, she courts all those who want to undermine our democracies,” she said on X on January 19.
“As for me, I am proud to exercise my influence within one of the best think tanks in Europe, the ECFR,” she added.
The appointment of Loiseau as chair of the EUDS Committee has also sparked controversy, with critics questioning the transparency of the election process.
On February 3, the EUDS Committee was set to elect its chair but the result was effectively known before the vote took place.
Loiseau, a centrist MEP from France’s Renew group and former leader of French President Emmanuel Macron’s party list in the 2019 European elections, had already been presented as the new chair before the ballot took place.
French media outlet La Lettre reported the outcome hours before the election, stating: “The French MEP is to chair the European Parliament’s new anti-interference body.
“She aims to investigate the interventions of Donald Trump’s advisor in the German elections and push the Commission to use the Digital Services Act against X and TikTok platforms.”
“The purpose of this committee is normally to fight against interference and protect EU democracy, but we realised from the very first meetings that this committee was set up without respecting the d’Hondt law on political group balance,” Virginie Joron told Brussels Signal.
The EUDS officially launched earlier this year and is focused on tackling challenges such as disinformation, foreign interference and upholding the rule of law.
It has been part of the EC’s broader legislative and non-legislative response to information manipulation within the EU.
The EUDS will be under the overarching supervision of the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath.
Although the EUDS was designed to protect European citizens from foreign actors, it has also pushed for the expansion of EU regulatory reach into the very fabric of media and digital landscapes.
The body will reportedly be tasked with enhancing media literacy, fact-checking and enforcing the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the AI Act.
The DSA, designed to regulate tech giants, laid the foundation for tighter EU control over digital content and the EUDS aligned itself with this framework, aiming to ensure enforcement of “disinformation” rules.
Critics have argued the EU’s attempts to regulate media, political discourse and civil society might encroach on national sovereignty.
A George Soros-backed company has taken a majority shareholding in the daily Rzeczpospolita, one of the most influential newspapers in Poland. https://t.co/SvRSlTXhpp
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 28, 2023
According to an EU briefing in December last year, the EUDS will also be in charge of “implementing the European Media Freedom Act [EMFA] and putting forward proposals to further support and protect independent media and journalists”, within the bloc.
The EMFA has at its disposal a new advisory body, the European Media Board. It will monitor and promote media freedom and pluralism across the EU under the auspices of the European Commission, which provides its funding.
According to the EU, the Board’s primary role was to assess and report on media freedom and pluralism in EU member states, offering recommendations to the EC and member states to address identified challenges.
This would include monitoring the independence of regulatory authorities, the allocation of public funds to media and the protection of journalists.
“The Media Board will provide opinions on national measures that could significantly affect the operation of media providers, on media market concentrations, and on common measures to protect the internal market from non-EU media providers that pose threats to public security,” an EC press release said.
Soros, who founded OSF in 1979, pumped $18 billion into the organisation in 2017, solidifying its influence across Europe and beyond. According to Forbes, as of 2025, his personal fortune still stands at $7.2 billion.
European experts have been digging through spending by Brussels. https://t.co/hMNddV42eb
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) February 10, 2025
