Presidential Elections and Implementation of the DSA

HAKOM, in its capacity as the Coordinator for Digital Services in Croatia, has convened relevant stakeholders to support the implementation of the upcoming presidential elections.

Zagreb, 13 December 2024 - The Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) has been designated as the Coordinator for Digital Services in the Republic of Croatia. Among its responsibilities under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) is assisting all relevant stakeholders in reporting and removing illegal content on very large online platforms and search engines. Furthermore, it ensures that these platforms and search engines have access to official information related to the presidential elections.

The Role of HAKOM in the 2024 Presidential Elections
Since February this year, the Digital Services Act (DSA), a regulation governing the single market for digital services, has been in effect in the Republic of Croatia and across the European Union. One of the key objectives of the DSA is to mitigate actual and foreseeable negative impacts on civic discourse and electoral processes by addressing systemic risks posed by very large online platforms
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Preparations for the Presidential Elections
In preparation for the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for 29 December 2024, HAKOM, in its role as Croatia’s Coordinator for Digital Services, organised a roundtable on safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process in collaboration with the European Commission in early November.

This event brought together HAKOM, the European Commission, representatives of major digital platforms (Google, YouTube, Meta, TikTok, and X), the State Electoral Commission (DIP), and civil society organisations (GONG and Faktograf). These organisations play a crucial role in promoting transparency in the electoral process and ensuring robust fact-checking efforts.

The Roundtable on Electoral Integrity
The roundtable facilitated discussions on potential challenges and risks during the elections, with an emphasis on exchanging pertinent information about the electoral process and demonstrating tools provided by platforms for reporting content and safeguarding electoral integrity. To enable swift responses when required, HAKOM also established dedicated communication channels among stakeholders for reporting any identified irregularities.
 
The State Electoral Commission (DIP), as the principal institution responsible for organising, conducting, and overseeing the electoral process to ensure legality, transparency, and fairness in the Republic of Croatia, published the list of presidential candidates on 11 December via https://www.izbori.hr/site/. This information was also shared with the European Commission and major digital platforms.

Furthermore, following the publication of the list, HAKOM reached out to the candidates and informed them of the possibility to enhance the protection of their social media accounts against potential misuse, manipulation, and disinformation. Platforms will give increased attention to the candidates' user accounts.

More information related to the elections and the activities of the involved stakeholders can be found at the following links:
https://www.izbori.hr/site/
https://gong.hr/
https://faktograf.hr/