《TAIPEI TIMES》 EU delegation urges joint fight against meddling

‘CLOSER TIES NEEDED’: Taiwan sets an example for Europe with the way it counters an authoritarian regime trying to weaken its democracy, one official said

By Chien Hui-ju and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

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Taiwan would be a perfect partner for the EU as the bloc considers building a hub to combat disinformation campaigns by authoritarian regimes, the head of a visiting European Parliament delegation said yesterday ahead of their return to Brussels.

“We can benefit a lot as Europeans from a closer cooperation with Taiwan in the fight against disinformation,” EU lawmaker Raphael Glucksmann told a news conference at the conclusion of the three-day trip to Taiwan.

The EU is considering building a hub to combat disinformation, and the whole delegation agreed that “it should be Taiwan,” he said.

“That actually makes a lot of sense, the partnership should grow and get deeper and deeper,” he added.

The delegation — comprising members of the parliament’s Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation — was in Taiwan to learn how the nation has built a strong democracy while facing threats from China, he said.

Like Taiwan, Europe is facing large-scale actions orchestrated by an authoritarian regime to weaken its democracy, Glucksmann said.

Seeing Taiwan’s successful example, the “idea of the whole society being involved in this fight is crucial for us,” he said.

Asked if the first-ever trip by an official European Parliament delegation to Taiwan could exacerbate tensions across the Taiwan Strait, Glucksmann said he believes that the visit would have the opposite effect.

“We are really convinced that the more you have interaction between the international community and Taiwan, the less dangerous the situation would be in the Strait,” he said.

A trip to Taiwan or a high-level meeting with Taiwanese officials should be considered normal, instead of a provocation that adds fuel to the fire, he added.

Glucksmann said he and the other group members are not afraid of possible Chinese sanctions in response to the visit.

EU lawmaker Petras Austrevicius, a delegation member from Lithuania, said that in the wake of Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997, the world turned a blind eye to Beijing’s actions, which emboldened the Chinese leadership.

Hong Kong’s example shows that an authoritarian government is capable of committing many crimes against humanity, Austrevicius said.

“We cannot afford to be naive any longer,” he said.

Earlier yesterday, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun （游錫堃） met with the delegation at the legislature.

The EU lawmakers had gained insights into Taiwan’s democracy and felt at home here, Glucksmann told You, adding that despite the distance between Taiwan and Europe, Taiwanese have the same concept of democracy and liberty.

The delegation hopes to lay the foundation for warmer ties between Taiwan and Europe, he said, urging more cooperation between the two sides.

You said it was a “warm gesture” that the delegation visited despite the COVID-19 pandemic and Chinese protests.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES