Washington [US], December 26 : The United States has imposed visa bans on a former European Union Commissioner, Thierry Breton, and four other Europeans, accusing them of "organised efforts" to suppress "American viewpoints," Al Jazeera reported.
The US alleged that the five Europeans pressured tech companies to censor free speech.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged that the five Europeans had "advanced censorship crackdowns" against "American speakers and American companies", Al Jazeera reported.
"For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organised efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship," he said on X.
According to Al Jazeera, Sarah Rogers, the undersecretary for public diplomacy, accused Breton of using the EU's Digital Services Act to threaten Elon Musk, the owner of X, ahead of an interview he conducted with United States President Donald Trump during his election campaign.
The European Commission strongly condemned the move, citing freedom of expression. The commission has sought clarification from the US authorities.
In a statement, the European Commission said, "The European Commission strongly condemns the US decision to impose travel restrictions on five European individuals, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and a shared core value with the United States across the democratic world. The EU is an open, rules-based single market, with the sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values and international commitments."
"Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination. We have requested clarifications from the US authorities and remain engaged. If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures," the commission added.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the US' decision, terming it as "coercion" to undermine European digital sovereignty.
Macron wrote on X, "France condemns the visa restriction measures taken by the United States against Thierry Breton and four other European figures. These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty."
"The European Union's digital regulations were adopted following a democratic and sovereign process by the European Parliament and the Council. They apply within Europe to ensure fair competition among platforms, without targeting any third country, and to ensure that what is illegal offline is also illegal online. The rules governing the European Union's digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe. Together with the European Commission and our European partners, we will continue to defend our digital sovereignty and our regulatory autonomy," the French President added.
The DSA has recently sparked tensions in US-EU relations, Al Jazeera said. The row escalated after the European Union imposed a fine on Elon Musk-owned social media platform 'X' for breaching the Digital Services Act, citing lapses in advertising transparency and shortcomings in measures to verify users.
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