EU digital rules spark US visa restrictions row

The French president has condemned U.S. visa restrictions targeting several senior EU officials, describing the move as “intimidation and coercion” aimed at undermining the bloc’s digital policies and sovereignty. The restrictions, announced by the U.S. administration, affect five officials, including Thierry Breton, the former European Commissioner for the Internal Market, because of their efforts to regulate American tech companies.

The dispute centers on the EU’s Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, which impose strict competition and transparency obligations on large online platforms. The United States argues that the framework is discriminatory, noting that most of the affected companies—Microsoft, Google, Meta and Amazon—are headquartered in the U.S. Breton played a key role in establishing the EU’s digital rulebook, a point of contention between the two sides.

Tensions escalated after the EU Commission fined Elon Musk’s social‑media platform X €120 million ($130 million) in December under the Digital Services Act. The United States criticized the fine as harmful to free speech and unfairly targeting an American company. In response, French President Emmanuel Macron said the U.S. sanctions “amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.” He emphasized that the EU’s rules were adopted democratically to ensure fair competition among platforms without targeting any third country.

The EU Commission also condemned the U.S. move, warning that it “will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.” The rift between the United States and the EU over digital rules has been ongoing; a recent U.S. National Security Strategy warned the EU of potential “civilizational erasure” due to suppression of political opposition, curbs on free speech and regulatory suffocation.

The dispute highlights growing tensions over digital governance and regulation. The EU’s attempts to curb the power of big tech have met resistance from the United States, which sees the measures as a threat to its economic interests. As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the two sides will resolve their differences and balance their competing interests. The EU has made clear it will defend its regulatory autonomy, while the United States is likely to continue pushing for a more favorable environment for its tech companies.