French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the US administration’s decision to restrict visas for former European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, and four other EU officials, describing the measures as those amounting to “intimidation and coercion” aimed at undermining the bloc’s digital sovereignty.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump’s administration announced fresh sanctions targeting Breton, who had been appointed by Macron himself, and four other officials for “efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose”.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Macron said the US sanctions “amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty".
He added that the EU’s rules were adopted democratically and “are not meant to be determined outside Europe,” while insisting that they are designed to “ensure fair competition among platforms, without targeting any third country”.
The EU Commission also condemned the US’ move, warning that it “will respond swiftly and promptly to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.”
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At the heart of these disputes remains the EU’s Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, which mandate transparency obligations for large online platforms, leading to greater competition. Breton is a central figure among the officials who have played a vital role in establishing and enforcing the EU digital rulebook.
The American officials, including Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have criticised the bloc’s discriminatory framework, given that most of the big tech and e-commerce giants are headquartered in the US.
Tensions also escalated recently between the EU Commission and Musk-owned X, after the bloc’s executive Vice President, Henna Virkkunen, slapped X with a $140 million fine for violating the Digital Services Act.
The US administration quickly responded to the move, calling it an attack on free speech and unfair targeting of an American company.
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