French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly denounced the United States’ decision to impose visa restrictions on former European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton and four other European individuals, labelling the move as “intimidation and coercion” against Europe’s digital sovereignty. In a strongly worded post on X on 24th December, Macron said that the US action amount to intimidation and coercion against European digital sovereignty.
The action, announced by the US State Department on December 23, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing transatlantic dispute over online content regulation and free speech. The US visa bans target Breton, a key architect of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), along with individuals associated with organizations combating online hate speech and misinformation.
According to US officials, these Europeans are accused of pressuring American social media companies to censor or suppress viewpoints protected under US law, particularly those related to political discourse. The State Department stated that the sanctions were imposed for their roles in enforcing EU rules that allegedly coerce US tech firms into removing content deemed harmful in Europe, such as hate speech or misinformation, even if it originates from American users.
This includes efforts under the DSA, which requires large social media platforms to moderate content more aggressively to ensure fair competition and user safety within the EU. The Trump administration framed the bans as a defence of American free speech principles, arguing that foreign entities should not dictate content policies for US-based companies. State Department emphasised that the measures were necessary to counter what they described as “foreign attempts to undermine American viewpoints” on global platforms.
This comes amid broader tensions, including US concerns over the DSA’s extraterritorial reach, which some American policymakers view as regulatory overreach targeting tech giants like Meta, Google, and X (formerly Twitter).
However, Macron defended the EU’s regulatory framework, asserting that it was democratically adopted by the European Parliament and Council to promote fair competition among platforms without aiming at any third countries.
La France dénonce les décisions de restriction de visa prises par les États-Unis à l’encontre de Thierry Breton et de quatre autres personnalités européennes.
Ces mesures relèvent de l’intimidation et de la coercition à l’encontre de la souveraineté numérique européenne.…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 24, 2025
He stressed that the rules simply extend offline standards, such as prohibitions on hate speech, to the online space and are not intended to be shaped by external influences. “The rules that apply to the EU’s digital space are not to be determined outside Europe,” Macron wrote, vowing to continue defending European digital sovereignty alongside the European Commission and EU partners.
The French government echoed Macron’s sentiments, condemning the US actions “in the strongest possible terms.”
Macron’s comments come amid growing friction between the EU and the US under the second Trump presidency on various issues. The bans on the EU officials could strain diplomatic relations, potentially leading to retaliatory measures from Brussels or individual EU member states.
