(Paris) French deputies definitively adopted a law on Wednesday to strengthen the legislative arsenal against foreign interference, at a time of growing tensions against a backdrop of wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Four days before the European elections on June 9, the Renaissance bill (presidential majority) was adopted by a final large vote of the National Assembly, with 138 votes for and 10 against.
The bill intends in particular to create a national register of influence, a procedure for freezing financial assets, and to experimentally strengthen this fight through algorithmic surveillance currently reserved for anti-terrorism.
“The adoption of this text offers effective weapons to our intelligence services to face it,” welcomed MP Sacha Houlié in a press release.
Several recent cases have caused a stir in France amid suspicions of foreign manipulation, such as the Stars of David sprayed on walls in the Paris region, the red hands painted on the Shoah memorial in Paris, and the “fake coffins” placed under the Eiffel Tower. Moscow is suspected of being behind these acts of destabilization.
The bill received the support of the right and the National Rally (far right), even if RN deputy Kévin Pfeffer denounced a “small law […] very far from the issues”.
The left, on the other hand, was divided. If the socialists supported the text, the only member of the environmentalist group who voted abstained. Communist and rebellious deputies (LFI, radical left) voted against.
This text “is not only empty and ineffective, it is dangerous. He uses the fight against foreign interference as a pretext to further reduce the space for public freedoms,” criticized Aurélien Saintoul (LFI), defending in vain a motion to reject.
In its sights: the expansion to cases of foreign interference, on an experimental basis and for four years, of an algorithmic surveillance system launched in 2015, intended to identify connection data on the internet.
It was until now restricted to terrorism, but the authors of the text hope that it will provide more convincing results against interference.
The bill also intends to require representatives of foreign interests who lobby in France, particularly with elected officials, to register on a national register, with a sanctions regime. It would come into effect on July 1, 2025.
This will concern “natural or legal persons” who attempt to “influence public decision-making” or French public policies, for example by contacting candidates in presidential, legislative, senatorial and European elections, parliamentarians, ministers, certain local elected officials or even former Presidents of the Republic.
Part of the left had called for more safeguards, worrying about the consequences for certain journalists, foreign opposition parties or NGOs.
Foreign entities considered as potential sponsors would be companies controlled by states, political parties outside the EU or foreign powers themselves, always outside the European Union.
The text also provides for a freezing of the financial assets of people, companies or entities engaging in interference activities.
The text also establishes an aggravating circumstance for crimes and offenses committed in the interest of a foreign power, company or organization and authorizes the use of special investigative techniques (wiretapping, tracking, etc.) in legal proceedings.