A constitutional right to reliable information: safeguarding democracy in the age of artificial intelligence and platform power

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 16449 | 24 June 2026

Signatories:

Ms Daan ROOVERS, Netherlands, SOC ; Mr Mehmet AKALIN, Türkiye, ALDE ; Ms Kolbrún Áslaugar BALDURSDÓTTIR, Iceland, SOC ; Ms Deborah BERGAMINI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Adam BODNAR, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Bogdan BOGDANOV, Bulgaria, ALDE ; Mr Marek BOROWSKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Theo BOVENS, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Christophe BRICO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Mr Patrick CASEY, Ireland, ALDE ; Ms Natalia DAVIDOVICI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Ms Edina DEŠIĆ, Montenegro, EPP/CD ; Ms Andrea EDER-GITSCHTHALER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Ms Irena FERČIKOVÁ KONEČNÁ, Czechia, SOC ; Mr Gerardo GIOVAGNOLI, San Marino, SOC ; Ms Zanda KALNIŅA-LUKAŠEVICA, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Ms Saskia KLUIT, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Bisera KOSTADINOVSKA-STOJCHEVSKA, North Macedonia, SOC ; Ms Anne LAMBELIN, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Carmen LEYTE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Andreas MINNICH, Austria, EPP/CD ; Ms Octavie MODERT, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Ms Carla MOONEN, Netherlands, ALDE ; Mr Rónán MULLEN, Ireland, EPP/CD ; Mr Cristian-Augustin NICULESCU-ȚÂGÂRLAȘ, Romania, EPP/CD ; Ms Wanda NOWICKA, Poland, SOC ; Mr Dominik OBERHOFER, Austria, ALDE ; Mr Sigurður Helgi PÁLMASON, Iceland, SOC ; Mr Tekke PANMAN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr George PAPANDREOU, Greece, SOC ; Mr Marko PAVIĆ, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Ms Denitsa SACHEVA, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Serhii SOBOLIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Maria SYRENGELA, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Ivanka VASILEVSKA, North Macedonia, EPP/CD ; Ms Gala VELDHOEN, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Albana VOKSHI, Albania, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights presupposes a functioning democratic public sphere in which citizens can form opinions on the basis of reliable, pluralistic and verifiable information. In several recent resolutions, such as Resolution 2567 (2024) “Propaganda and freedom of information in Europe” and reports, including the one entitled “Protecting democracy from disruptions caused by artificial intelligence” (Doc. 16417), the Parliamentary Assembly noted with concern that the rise of large digital platforms, algorithmic content curation and the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence have fragmented public discourse, amplified disinformation and eroded trust in democratic institutions.

Platform business models premised on maximising engagement systematically prioritise polarising content over accurate information, undermining the conditions for democratic deliberation; and existing policy responses, while necessary, remain insufficient to address the erosion of the transparency, accountability and pluralism upon which truth can be collectively pursued. Thus, democracy requires not only protection of individual rights against interference, but the active establishment of positive institutional conditions enabling informed and meaningful participation in public life.

The Assembly should prepare a report aiming to examine how artificial intelligence and digital platforms are reshaping public discourse, undermining the conditions for informed democratic participation. The report should assess whether existing legal frameworks, including the European Convention on Human Rights, are adequate to address these challenges, and explore what new institutional, policy and regulatory responses may be needed at the Council of Europe level.

Its central and concluding objective should be to develop the concept of a constitutional right to reliable information, not as a right to State-defined truth, but as a legally grounded guarantee that citizens have access to the institutional and procedural conditions necessary for trustworthy, evidence-based information as a foundation of democratic life.