French National Assembly lawmakers overwhelmingly (171 votes to 25) backed a bill to combat foreign interference on Wednesday, Euractiv reported.
Only France Insoumise (LFI) voted against it, while the Gauche Démocratique et Républicaine (GDR) abstained.
Sacha Houlié, Renaissance chairman of the French Law Commission and rapporteur for the four-article bill, opened the debate on Tuesday.
What is at stake is the protection of our sovereignty, our democratic and liberal values, and the protection of the nation’s interests.
The draft legislation includes a four-year trial to allow intelligence agencies to use algorithmic surveillance techniques, which are currently employed exclusively for counter-terrorism. The move was initially strongly criticised by the Conservative parties, who feared the possible implications for individual freedoms.
The text also includes the creation of a register of “interest representatives acting on behalf of a foreign principal” supervised by the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP).
The bill is based on a report published in November by the Parliamentary Delegation for Intelligence (DPR). The report found that the available tools were “effective” but “sometimes insufficient given the intensification of the threat.”
It will now be reviewed by the Senate in May.
