BRUSSELS — The weakness of the European Commission’s proposal to tackle foreign interference in elections shows an ominous deference to U.S. interests, critics have said.

The so-called Democracy Shield, one of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s key campaign promises, was announced Wednesday to an underwhelming reception.

“The Commission’s communication is uninspiring and lacks determination. While it would be acceptable in peacetime, in the current geopolitical situation it is dangerously insufficient,” said Helmut Brandstätter, an Austrian liberal member of the European Parliament.

The initiative touches on the enforcement of EU digital rules that put the onus on social media platforms to tackle misinformation on their networks.

“Some of the weakest language” is to be found on these areas — as “expected given the pressure exerted by the new U.S. administration, but it’s a dangerous precedent for the EU,” said Emma Quaedvlieg, policy manager at the European Partnership for Democracy, a civil society group.

Several platforms are being investigated under the EU’s powerful Digital Services Act, but no final decisions have been issued. That includes X, whose powerful billionaire owner Elon Musk took the opportunity to slam the bloc in a jab at von der Leyen on Wednesday.

The proposal makes clear the extent of the disinformation campaigns plaguing elections. Yet many of the Commission’s fixes remain optional, including the flagship item: a hub to exchange expertise on foreign interference and misinformation called the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, as POLITICO reported ahead of the announcement.

The Commission hasn’t figured out the structure of the center, and a senior Commission official said it hasn’t been decided which part of the EU’s institutions will be responsible for it, a key sticking point in discussions.

Swedish conservative MEP Tomas Tobé said the proposal “is a timely and thorough overview” of where the EU must act, but that the Commission should “go a few steps further in its ambition when it comes to actual reforms.” Tobé, from von der Leyen’s political family, is spearheading the European Parliament’s report on the plans.

“It seems to me much more a series of ‘titles’ of chapters still to be written than concrete answers,” said French liberal lawmaker Sandro Gozi.

The strategy also addresses Europe’s flailing media sector. The document comes with “somewhat of a large list” of things to do and “is failing to prioritise the game-changing solutions,” Thibaut Bruttin, director general of Reporters Without Borders, told POLITICO.

German Greens MEP Alexandra Geese disagrees. In her view, Wednesday’s plan includes a “clear call to tackle systemic risks to society and democracy” through existing rules.

It serves as a call from Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath — who spearheaded the initiative — to Commission Executive Vice President for Tech Henna Virkkunen to enforce digital rules, Geese said. If “McGrath calls for enforcement … Virkkunen finally needs to take action.”