We talked to the Georgian-French journalist Régis Genté about the issues that are among top concerns when it comes to the European elections: the rise of the far right, unmotivated young voters and disinformation. A political expert on the post-Soviet area, Régis Genté reports for the mainstream media at Radio France Internationale, France 24 TV and Le Figaro.

EESC Info: Do you think the rise of the far-right parties across Europe will have an impact on the European elections result?

I’m not an expert on the far-right in Europe at all, but looking at the surveys we have now in my country (France) I have to acknowledge that the far-right is ahead. The European elections represent a political means for European citizens to say or pass on a message about their own country to their politicians. European citizens first think about the political situation in their country and only then about the situation in Europe. So yes, the far-right parties will probably have an impact on these elections, in a context where questions about sovereignty versus European integration are on the rise.

Do you believe that young people are motivated to go to the polls for the European elections?

I will answer as an ordinary citizen who has lived in a post-Soviet territory for 22 years and as someone who also often talks to young people in Europe. I see they are not highly motivated to go to the polls. I observe the same in Georgia, where I live. Young people there are politicized, but not in favour of a pro-government party or the opposition. They want to be engaged in the political life of their country, but refuse to vote because none of the parties and their leaders truly represent them. It’s an interesting position that I respect because it may open the doors to make politics different, beyond representative democracy, beyond the parties. But, in the meantime, it leaves the political field to politicians and various political forces… without young people.

How deeply can disinformation influence the voters in the upcoming European elections?

Disinformation will be successful if its target is weak – with us, Europeans, being the target in this case. Russian disinformation doesn’t create problems; it uses existing ones. And we all understand that our societies are going through a deep political and moral crisis at the moment. It means that, unfortunately, the ground is favourable for disinformation to be efficient. But I feel that, as Europeans and as citizens of the world, we are now all more educated and experienced in how to handle the news on social media. We have learned a lot during these last ten years. We know a bit better how to filter the news on social media platforms, as we are aware that they serve as the playground for manipulation and fake news. We should not be too pessimistic, because this has already been making us the victims of disinformation. Societies are not that naïve anymore, and people are aware that countries and other political players can use social networks to manipulate public opinion. On social media, I would say, it is only a minority of people that are active; the large majority of the average population, educated people, is often silent. And this significant number of people is not swallowing every crazy thing that is written on social media.