We must be clear about one thing – there are players and states which are using deceitful methods to interfere in democratic processes as well as election campaigns in other countries. The highest-profile example for us is, of course, the hacker attack on the German Bundestag, with which Russia demonstrated its offensive cyber capabilities a few years ago. We must not only clearly call out incidents of this nature but also take decisive action to counter these attacks.

We therefore need to strengthen our cyber defences and make our cyber security more robust. And we have to nip disinformation in the bud by raising awareness and educating people. To this end, we are called upon to defend our free and open societies every day anew through active and, above all, fact-based communication. On all of these points, we are engaged in an intensive exchange with our partners and are helping each other. Destabilisation and disinformation are a phenomenon which knows no borders. Clear stop signs are thus all the more important.