The United States has imposed visa bans on five prominent European Union figures, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, a principal architect of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The ban also applies to four figures from Britain and Germany.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in X that European “ideologues” have long tried to force American platforms to suppress opinions expressed in the United States, and the Trump administration will no longer tolerate this.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the measure as an “attempt at intimidation and repression” aimed at Europe’s digital sovereignty. He stressed that the DSA was adopted democratically by the European Parliament and member states and is not against any third country.
The EU, Germany, Spain, and the UK condemned the US move. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe would defend its democracy and prepare for a “swift and decisive” response.
Thierry Breton compared the situation to a “McCarthyist hunt.”
Experts say the dispute highlights growing US-EU tensions over digital regulation, artificial intelligence, and perceptions of free speech.
