EU, France and Germany condemn US Visa Bans for 5 Europeans accused of censorship

New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 25, 2025 00:13 IST

The European Union, along with France and Germany, has strongly condemned the United States’ decision to impose visa bans on five European citizens involved in combating online hate and disinformation, warning of a firm response to what it called “unjustified measures.” Brussels said it had sought clarification from Washington and would act swiftly to defend its regulatory autonomy if necessary.

The US State Department announced the bans, accusing the individuals — including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton — of pressuring American technology companies to censor US viewpoints and restrict freedom of expression.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the group had led organised efforts to suppress American speech, allegations firmly rejected by European leaders.

“The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship,” he posted on X.

Breton, a key architect of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), has been a vocal proponent of stricter online content regulation, a stance that has long irritated U.S. officials and tech executives. The move follows recent EU sanctions against Elon Musk’s X platform for breaching online content rules.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the bans as intimidation aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty, while Germany called the targeting of activists unacceptable and reaffirmed that Europe’s digital rules are decided democratically within the EU, not in Washington.

EU officials reiterated that freedom of expression remains a shared transatlantic value and that the bloc’s digital laws are applied fairly and without discrimination.

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