The European Union executive has launched a formal investigation into TikTok amid “serious indications” that foreign countries used the video-sharing platform to interfere in the recent Romanian presidential election.

The second round of voting was canceled earlier this month after declassified intelligence documents revealed that 25,000 TikTok accounts were suddenly activated weeks before the first round of voting began.

The accounts supported independent candidate Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right activist who described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “patriot and leader.” ” even though he denies that he is a fan of Putin.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said democracies must be protected from foreign interference.

EU regulators will assess whether TikTok’s advertising policies and the system it uses to recommend content to users breach the Digital Services Act (DSA), which is designed to prevent the spread of misinformation and curb illegal activity online.

“Whenever we suspect such interference, especially during elections, We must act quickly and firmly,” von der Leyen said in a statement.

“It is clear that in the EU, all online platforms, including TikTok, must be held accountable.”

Georgescu’s campaign has focused largely on TikTok, and although Moscow denies interference, Romanian intelligence services say Russia has considered the NATO member an enemy and a priority target.

TikTok promoting the candidate was not flagged as electoral content, which is illegal in Romania.

One account paid $381,000 (£300,000) for a post by Georgescu, who denies spending any money on the platform.

TikTok strongly denies the accusations, insisting that “claims that (Georgescu’s) account was treated differently than any other candidate are absolutely false.”

While the platform allows organic posting and sharing of election content, paid political advertising is prohibited.

After the second round of voting was canceled, TikTok said that “when Romanian authorities contacted us to flag some videos that lacked identifiers… we took action on the videos within 24 hours.”

Part of the EU investigation will look at risks associated with “automated exploitation” of TikTok’s algorithm, which serves up customized content on users’ “For You” pages based on their interests and how they interact with the app.

It will also evaluate TikTok’s policies on political advertising.

On December 5, the EU ordered TikTok to retain internal documents about how it recommends content to users and any methods to mitigate “deliberate manipulation” of its platform.

This includes content related to elections in EU countries between 24 November 2024 and 31 March 2025, including Romania, Ireland and Croatia.

The EU said it would investigate “as a matter of priority”.

At the same time, a separate investigation was conducted into TikTok’s possible violations of the DSA regarding harmful content and the protection of minors.

After the first round of Romania’s presidential vote, Romania’s intelligence agency said the sudden rise in Georgescu’s popularity was due to a “highly organized” and “guerrilla” campaign on social media from accounts sending the same message.

He ran alongside reformist candidate Elena Lasconi before the runoff was called off.

Georgescu has campaigned for an end to political and military aid to Ukraine.

He is a conspiracy theorist and does not believe in the moon landing or the Covid-19 pandemic.