BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Union (EU) and some member states reacted sharply Wednesday to United States sanctions imposed on five European figures involved in regulating tech companies, including former European commissioner Thierry Breton.

They were responding after the US State Department announced Tuesday it would deny visas to the five, accusing them of seeking to “coerce” American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose.

France, Germany and Spain also condemned the news from Washington.

A statement from the Commission said: “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.”

“Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination.” 

Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, often clashed with tycoons including Elon Musk over their obligations to follow EU rules.

The State Department has described him as the “mastermind” of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes content moderation and other standards on major social media platforms operating in Europe.

‘Extraterritorial censorship’

The DSA stipulates that major platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, provide transparency for users and ensure researchers can carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content.

But the act has become a bitter rallying point for US conservatives who see it as a weapon of censorship against right-wing thought in Europe and beyond, an accusation the EU furiously denies.

“The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron said 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,” he added, saying Europe would defend its “regulatory autonomy.”

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul wrote in a post on X Wednesday: “The DSA was democratically adopted by the EU for the EU —  it does not have extraterritorial effect.”

The visa bans, he added, “are not acceptable.”