French President Emmanuel Macron and EU figures denounced the US visa restrictions imposed on December 23, 2025, against former Commissioner Thierry Breton and four NGO leaders over Digital Services Act (DSA) enforcement, calling them an assault on European digital sovereignty. New details emerge on preceding X fine and US celebrations, part of ongoing series coverage.
The Trump administration's visa restrictions on ex-EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton—key DSA architect—and four NGO activists (Imran Ahmed of UK's Center for Countering Digital Hate, Clare Melford of Global Disinformation Index, and Germany's HateAid leaders Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon) follow a 120 million euro DSA fine on X in early December for illicit content failures (see prior article in series for announcement details).
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio decried 'extraterritorial censorship,' with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hailing it on X as affirming US free speech supremacy.
European unity prevailed in condemnation: Macron tweeted rejection of the 'intimidation and coercion against European digital sovereignty,' stressing DSA's democratic legitimacy and non-targeting of third countries. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot affirmed Europe's sovereign digital rulemaking. MEP Nathalie Loiseau proposed barring RFK Jr. from Europe over health misinformation. Ex-ambassadors Michel Duclos and Gérard Araud called for retaliatory visas or financial measures.
These rare allied sanctions underscore deepening US-EU rifts on tech regulation, with US threats of list expansion.
