France expands foreign‑interference safeguards to local elections

The French government, led by Interior Minister Sébastien Lecornu, introduced a bill and accompanying decree to broaden tools against foreign disinformation. The proposal extends the existing fast‑track judicial procedure—currently limited to presidential, legislative, senatorial, European elections and referenda—to all local elections, including municipal, departmental and regional contests.

A new independent commission will be created, composed of a member of the Conseil d’État, a magistrate of the Cour de cassation and a member of the Cour des comptes, with its secretariat in the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security. The commission will receive alerts from specialised services such as Viginum, analyse AI‑generated content, and publicly inform candidates, parties and voters when foreign interference is identified. It will also have the authority to trigger rapid removal of manifestly false or deceptive information that threatens the nation’s core interests.

The legislation, presented on 22 July, adds a procedure for swift deletion of false information at any time, prompting debate over safeguards for freedom of expression. The reforms are positioned ahead of the 2027 presidential election.