EU Commission condemns US travel restrictions on EU citizens including former commissioner

James Cox

The European Commission is condemning a US decision to impose travel restrictions on five EU citizens, including former commissioner Thierry Breton.

Those impacted by the visa ban have been involved in a campaign to introduce laws regulating American tech giants.

In a post on X, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the Trump administration will "no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship".

The European Commission said it has requested clarification on the matter and, if needed, "will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures".

Mr Breton played a key role in the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), and four anti-disinformation campaigns, including two in Germany and two in the UK.

The other individuals targeted were Imran Ahmed, the British chief executive of the US-based Center for Countering Digital Hate; Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of the German non-profit HateAid; and Clare Melford, co-founder of the Global Disinformation Index.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said: "Freedom of speech is the foundation of our strong and vibrant European democracy. We are proud of it. We will protect it.”

“These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty,” French president Emmanuel Macron wrote on X.

“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."