Michael McGrath: We must defend our democratic values together

Citizens in Cork and Galway are just as exposed to sinister anti-democratic activism as those in Vilnius or Warsaw, writes EU commissioner Michael McGrath

The Kremlin spends hundreds of millions on trolls and networks to spread Putin’s lies. Picture: AP /Pavel Bednyakov, File

Attacks on freedom almost always begin with a lie. Russia claimed Ukraine was a “Nazi regime” that needed to be “liberated” before they launched their tanks and missiles.

Authoritarian regimes have always operated this way. They distort reality to make their aggression look like a necessity. And today — in a digital world — it is easier than ever before. The Kremlin spends hundreds of millions on trolls and networks to spread Putin’s lies.

But autocrats rarely attack democracy openly. On the contrary, they insist they are the true democrats, the “liberators”. They brand critical citizens as “foreign agents”, and smear independent judges as “corrupt”.

Their aim is to blur the lines between right and wrong until people can no longer distinguish them.

All of this can feel far away from us in Ireland. We are proud of our strong democracy and our shared values. But while we are an island, we are not isolated. Citizens in Cork and Galway are just as exposed to sinister anti-democratic activism as their contemporaries in Vilnius, Warsaw and beyond.

As EU commissioner, I work with 26 other commissioners from across our union, many of whom still carry living memories of repression and autocracy. And while it is a more distant memory for us in Ireland, we have begun to see how technology can be exploited to tamper with our own democratic freedoms. 

We all remember the deepfake video circulated during last month’s presidential election, designed to mislead voters about one of our presidential candidates.

I believe deeply in the promise of technology. It can scale businesses and connect us across borders. But if we do not use it with care, it can also make us more passive and more disengaged. 

Increasingly, we talk to chatbots rather than our neighbours and friends. We risk losing young people to what I would call a digital drift. A recent study found a large majority of teenagers want to cut their screen time, and many say they would do so if they had more real-life activities to take part in.

Michael McGrath: 'When I was knocking on doors asking people in my local community for their support, I learned what democracy truly is.' Picture: Shane O'Neill/Coalesce

If we lose this generation to isolation and passive scrolling, we risk losing not only their voices but the future leaders who will carry Ireland and the rest of Europe forward.

In 1999, I contested my first election. I was 22 years old and I ran in the local town council election in Passage West and Monkstown, Co Cork. When I was knocking on doors asking people in my local community for their support, I learned what democracy truly is. It lives in real engagement, on doorsteps, conversations, arguments and compromises.

Democracy comes alive in community centres, churches, around kitchen tables and during school runs.

These civic spaces are under pressure across Europe. Some face funding cuts. Others face political intimidation. They must be protected.

Likewise, the digital realm has an important role to play in modern democracies, but only when it gives our citizens factual, fair information uncorrupted by undemocratic forces.

As Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, my task is to ensure exactly that. To make sure people have places to meet, debate and disagree constructively. To ensure technology empowers our societies. And to ensure voters can make their choices freely, without manipulation or interference.

This is why the European Commission presented the European Democracy Shield last week. It is a long-term strategy that strengthens Europe’s democratic resilience. It strengthens our collective efforts, working with all member states, including Ireland, to counter disinformation and what we call foreign information manipulation and interference. 

It enforces our digital laws to protect children and safeguard elections. And it mobilises new support for communities and civic participation.

We will also seek to reinforce independent media, which remains democracy’s essential watchdog. This includes updating our rules to ensure economic sustainability. AI is increasingly sweeping up journalistic content to train its models, while advertising revenues flow more and more toward social media platforms. 

Journalists must receive a fair share of the value their work creates and must get visibility for their reliable content.

As a former finance minister, I know democracy and prosperity go hand in hand. Membership of our shared European market has been transformative for Ireland’s economy. But our market economy is also built on democratic principles: clear rules, accountability, transparency. Without these, corruption spreads and innovation dies.

We share more than a market with our European partners. We share dignity, justice and equality. These values cannot be imposed by governments. They must be lived and renewed by all of us.

That is not possible if we retreat into passivity, if we desert our community halls, or leave our freedoms unused. Young or old, whether you live in a city or a village, we must get up, reconnect and defend our democratic values together.

• Michael McGrath is European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection