Conflicts of interest and political interference by Elon Musk
26.11.2024
Question for written answer E-002653/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Sandro Ruotolo (S&D), Birgit Sippel (S&D), Marco Tarquinio (S&D), Raffaele Topo (S&D), Alessandro Zan (S&D), Alessandra Moretti (S&D), Elisabetta Gualmini (S&D), Matteo Ricci (S&D), Elio Di Rupo (S&D), Francisco Assis (S&D), Camilla Laureti (S&D), Giuseppe Lupo (S&D), Dario Nardella (S&D), Pierfrancesco Maran (S&D), Chloé Ridel (S&D), Thijs Reuten (S&D), Pierre Jouvet (S&D), Murielle Laurent (S&D), Cecilia Strada (S&D), Lucia Annunziata (S&D), Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D), Thomas Pellerin-Carlin (S&D), Hannes Heide (S&D), Irene Tinagli (S&D), Matjaž Nemec (S&D), Tiemo Wölken (S&D), Evin Incir (S&D), Alex Agius Saliba (S&D), Adnan Dibrani (S&D), Ana Catarina Mendes (S&D)
Elon Musk’s entry into US president-elect Donald Trump’s administration raises questions about European democratic security, given the media power and economic might of the American tycoon. Musk has used his own platform, ‘X’, to support and favour Donald Trump’s candidacy.
In Italy, Musk has criticised decisions by the judiciary, forcing Italian President Sergio Mattarella to intervene. His conflicts of interest extend to strategic and potentially dangerous areas of the economy, such as the automotive (Tesla), space (SpaceX), satellite telecommunications (Starlink) and social media (X) sectors. This makes him a key player in global geopolitical challenges, and there is a well-founded suspicion that he may use the media he owns to influence European politics for political and economic purposes.
In addition, the proceedings initiated by the Commission on 18 December under the Digital Services Act demonstrate concerns about the use of X for disinformation and its failure to manage illegal content.
Therefore:
- 1.Does the Commission believe that the current legislation is sufficient to protect democratic institutions, citizens and personal data from the political use of X?
- 2.What actions will it take to mitigate conflicts of interest and abuses by Musk?
- 3.Will it consider banning X on institutional devices, as with TikTok?
Submitted: 26.11.2024