French lower house approves bill on foreign interference
Kyiv • UNN
The lower house of the French parliament has approved a bill proposed by President Emmanuel Macron aimed at combating foreign interference, which allows for a four-year trial period to use surveillance methods that are currently used exclusively against terrorism.
On Wednesday, lawmakers in the French National Assembly supported a bill proposed by President Emmanuel Macron's party, the National Revival, to combat foreign interference. 171 parliamentarians voted in favor of the document, 25 voted against. This was reported by UNN with reference to Euractiv.
Details
The text of the draft law consists of four articles. In particular, it provides for a four-year probationary period during which the special services are authorized to use surveillance methods that are currently used exclusively for the fight against terrorism.
The text also provides for the creation of a register of "representatives of interests acting on behalf of a foreign principal" controlled by the Higher Body for Ensuring Transparency of Public Life. It will include lobbyists, communicators and fundraisers acting on behalf of governments, state-owned companies and foreign political parties.
As noted, the draft law is based on a report published in November by the parliamentary intelligence delegation. It states that the existing tools are "effective" but "sometimes insufficient given the growing threat.
The bill will now be considered by the Senate in May.
French President Emmanuel Macron said during an interview for the United News telethon that France is ready for any possible aggression from Russiabecause "the Kremlin regime has gone off the rails."
