US Visa Bans Spark EU Backlash Over Digital Rules

By Anupriya Datta, Nikolaus J. Kurmayer and Théophane Hartmann

(EurActiv) -- Brussels and several EU capitals reacted sharply on Wednesday after the United States imposed visa bans on former European Commissioner Thierry Breton and four other European figures, escalating a transatlantic dispute over EU digital regulation

The US State Department announced on Tuesday it would deny visas to former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and four others, accusing them of seeking to “coerce” American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose.

The move has triggered a rare show of unity across EU institutions and national capitals, with Brussels warning it could retaliate to defend its regulatory autonomy.

“We have requested clarifications from the US authorities and remain engaged,” the Commission said in a statement published on Wednesday, adding that if needed Brussels will respond swiftly and decisively to defend its regulatory autonomy against what it calls “unjustified measures”

The US measure particularly targeted Thierry Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, who often clashed with tech tycoons such as Elon Musk over their obligations to follow EU rules.

Breton was described by the State Department as the “mastermind” of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a major piece of legislation that imposes content moderation and other standards on major social media platforms operating in Europe.

It stipulates that major platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, provide transparency for users and ensure researchers can carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content.

The DSA has become a bitter rallying point for US conservatives who see it as a weapon of censorship against right-wing thought in Europe and beyond, an accusation the EU denies.

Saving Private Breton

After the announcement, Paris came out in defence of its former European Commissioner.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the US’ decision, calling it “intimidation and coercion against European digital sovereignty”, on social media. “We will continue to defend our digital sovereignty and our regulatory autonomy,” he also added.

“The Digital Services Act (DSA) was democratically adopted in Europe. It has absolutely no extraterritorial reach and in no way affects the United States,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also said on Wednesday.

Breton, who left the European Commission in 2024, slammed the ban as a “witch hunt,” comparing the situation to the US McCarthy era when officials were chased out of government for alleged ties to communism. “To our American friends: Censorship isn’t where you think it is,” he added.

His successor French Industry Commissioner, Stéphane Séjourné, reacting to the announcement, said that no sanction will silence the sovereignty of the European people. He also expressed “total solidarity with him and all affected Europeans in a social media post.

In Berlin, travel restrictions for the German NGO were deemed “not acceptable,” said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. “We intend to address other interpretations with the US.”

Meanwhile, in Brussels, MEPs across the board also reacted on social media. Renew liberal lawmaker Sandro Gozi called the sanctions “an extremely serious and unacceptable act”, warning it constitutes a “dangerous precedent”.

Green lawmaker Alexandra Geese expressed solidarity with the sanctioned individuals and said “What kind of freedom of speech needs visa sanctions?” in a social media post.

‘Extraterritorial overreach’

Washington has scaled up its attacks on EU regulations after Brussels earlier this month fined Musk’s X for violating DSA rules on transparency in advertising and its methods for ensuring users were verified and actual people.

Last week the US government signaled that key European businesses could be targeted in response, listing Accenture, DHL, Mistral, Siemens and Spotify among others.

The visa ban also targeted Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that fights online hate, misinformation, and disinformation that also fell in the crosshairs of Musk after his takeover of Twitter, later renamed X.

Also subject to the ban were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of HateAid, a German organization that the State Department said functions as a trusted flagger for enforcing the DSA.

“This is not just about two women fighting against online hate, but about an attack on European law in the digital space,” Green lawmaker Sven Giegold reacted.

Clare Melford, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), rounded out the group.

Washington is also attacking the UK’s Online Safety Act, Britain’s equivalent of the DSA that seeks to impose content moderation requirements on major social media platforms.

The White House last week suspended implementation of a tech cooperation deal with Britain, saying it was in opposition to the UK’s tech rules.

“President Trump has been clear that his America First foreign policy rejects violations of American sovereignty,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

“Extraterritorial overreach by foreign censors targeting American speech is no exception,” he added.

• Magdalena Kensy contributed to reporting.