Macron Pushes Legislation Against Foreign Interference, Cites Fake News Threat to 2027 Presidential Election
French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to draft legislation aimed at preventing foreign interference and fake news from disrupting the 2027 presidential election, proposing measures to regulate social media platforms and combat AI-generated disinformation.
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- 📰 Published: April 18, 2026 at 22:39
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Paris, April 18 (CNA) - With less than a year remaining until the 2027 French presidential election, President Emmanuel Macron has once again issued a warning regarding foreign interference. He announced the drafting of legislation to ensure that democratic debates are not disrupted by social media and fake news.
French local elections concluded at the end of March. According to L’Express magazine, Macron, speaking to hundreds of newly elected mayors at the Élysée Palace earlier this week, condemned foreign attempts to destabilize the country through social media, specifically blaming Russia.
The French government has been focusing on the issue of foreign interference in elections in recent years. In his New Year's address on December 31st, Macron emphasized his commitment to ensuring the smooth conduct of the presidential election, "especially without any foreign interference."
Methods to interfere with public opinion are numerous, including discrediting the fairness of elections, smearing candidates' reputations, inciting public distrust in the media, and polarizing public debates.
Macron further announced this week the drafting of legislation to strengthen protection against foreign intervention in the electoral process. To address this threat, he plans to implement a series of measures to safeguard democratic debates from social media interference and hopes to "regulate" speech on social platforms, particularly to prevent paid influence campaigns during elections.
Macron directly told the mayors that these interference actions "sometimes affect you." During the local elections in March, authorities did detect some interference actions, although they were limited in number.
This type of threat primarily originates from Russia. Macron had already warned in February that Russia was "massively purchasing millions of fake accounts during elections."
French intelligence agencies are familiar with these tactics. L’Express revealed in February the government's actions to combat foreign interference, one of which was establishing a coordination network. This network combines the efforts of the Prime Minister's office, the General Secretariat of the Government, the Ministry of the Interior, the audiovisual and digital communications regulatory authority Arcom, the National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing, and the digital intervention watchdog Viginum. This unit is responsible for assessing threats during elections, informing the public, and proposing response measures when manipulative intent is detected.
In November last year, Macron praised Taiwan's efforts in combating fake news, mentioning that the establishment of Viginum was inspired by Taiwan.
If the local elections in March served as a test ground for combating foreign interference, France's preventive efforts will now focus on the presidential election next April, with a key area being AI-generated fake news.
The report points out that the threat of fake news is even more concerning given the low cooperation from social media platforms like TikTok and X in content moderation.
In addition to France, other European countries such as Moldova, Romania, and Germany also face similar threats. Macron has therefore vowed to push for collective action to combat fake accounts on social media at the European level. (Editor: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150418
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French local elections concluded at the end of March. According to L’Express magazine, Macron, speaking to hundreds of newly elected mayors at the Élysée Palace earlier this week, condemned foreign attempts to destabilize the country through social media, specifically blaming Russia.
The French government has been focusing on the issue of foreign interference in elections in recent years. In his New Year's address on December 31st, Macron emphasized his commitment to ensuring the smooth conduct of the presidential election, "especially without any foreign interference."
Methods to interfere with public opinion are numerous, including discrediting the fairness of elections, smearing candidates' reputations, inciting public distrust in the media, and polarizing public debates.
Macron further announced this week the drafting of legislation to strengthen protection against foreign intervention in the electoral process. To address this threat, he plans to implement a series of measures to safeguard democratic debates from social media interference and hopes to "regulate" speech on social platforms, particularly to prevent paid influence campaigns during elections.
Macron directly told the mayors that these interference actions "sometimes affect you." During the local elections in March, authorities did detect some interference actions, although they were limited in number.
This type of threat primarily originates from Russia. Macron had already warned in February that Russia was "massively purchasing millions of fake accounts during elections."
French intelligence agencies are familiar with these tactics. L’Express revealed in February the government's actions to combat foreign interference, one of which was establishing a coordination network. This network combines the efforts of the Prime Minister's office, the General Secretariat of the Government, the Ministry of the Interior, the audiovisual and digital communications regulatory authority Arcom, the National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing, and the digital intervention watchdog Viginum. This unit is responsible for assessing threats during elections, informing the public, and proposing response measures when manipulative intent is detected.
In November last year, Macron praised Taiwan's efforts in combating fake news, mentioning that the establishment of Viginum was inspired by Taiwan.
If the local elections in March served as a test ground for combating foreign interference, France's preventive efforts will now focus on the presidential election next April, with a key area being AI-generated fake news.
The report points out that the threat of fake news is even more concerning given the low cooperation from social media platforms like TikTok and X in content moderation.
In addition to France, other European countries such as Moldova, Romania, and Germany also face similar threats. Macron has therefore vowed to push for collective action to combat fake accounts on social media at the European level. (Editor: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150418
Stand with the facts. Every contribution you make empowers the fight for press freedom.
Download the CNA 'First News' app for real-time updates.
This website's text, images, and audio/video materials may not be reproduced, broadcast, or transmitted without authorization.
Keywords: