Brussels threatens retaliation as US slaps visa bans on former EU Commissioner, activists and officials

The European Commission warned on Wednesday it would respond “swiftly and decisively” to defend its regulatory autonomy after the United States imposed unprecedented visa bans on former Commissioner Thierry Breton and four other prominent European figures.

The US State Department move, announced late Tuesday, 23 December, targets the primary architects and enforcers of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterised the group as “radical activists” and “weaponised NGOs” that have sought to “coerce” American social media platforms into censoring content. The diplomatic escalation effectively bars the five individuals—including Breton, the former top tech regulator, and leaders from the German group HateAid and the UK-based Global Disinformation Index—from entering US territory.

In a formal statement released on Wednesday, the European Commission strongly condemned the decision, asserting that the EU holds the “sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values.” Brussels clarified that its digital rules are designed solely to ensure a “safe, fair, and level playing field” for all companies, applied without discrimination. “If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures,” the Commission warned.

French President Emmanuel Macron led the European outcry, denouncing the sanctions as an act of “intimidation” and “coercion” against the bloc’s digital sovereignty. Breton, who stepped down from the Commission in 2024, compared the measures to the McCarthyist witch hunts of the 1950s. “To our American friends: Censorship isn’t where you think it is,” Breton wrote in a public response, noting that the DSA was democratically adopted by all 27 member states and the European Parliament.

The sanctions follow a series of clashes between Brussels and US-based tech tycoons, most notably Elon Musk. Earlier this month, the EU fined Musk’s X platform €120 million for non-compliance with DSA transparency rules—the first such fine under the new legislation. Washington has interpreted these regulatory actions as a direct attack on American free speech protections, with the Trump administration now utilising immigration law to penalise those it deems responsible for “extraterritorial overreach.”

In Berlin, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the travel restrictions against the German NGO HateAid as “not acceptable,” echoing Brussels’ stance that the DSA has no extraterritorial reach. EU officials confirmed they have requested formal clarifications from Washington, while signalling that key American business interests could be targeted in a reciprocal response if the bans are not rescinded.

The dispute has now broadened to include the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act, with Washington recently suspending a tech cooperation deal with London over similar concerns. Secretary Rubio remained defiant, stating that the “America First” foreign policy will no longer tolerate foreign efforts to “suppress political opposition” through digital mandates.