French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly criticised the United States for imposing visa restrictions on former European Union commissioner Thierry Breton and four other European activists, accusing Washington of attempting to interfere with Europe’s authority to regulate its digital space.
According to Macron, the decision by the U.S. government represents an effort to weaken Europe’s regulatory independence, particularly in the area of digital governance. Writing on his verified X account on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, the French leader said the visa bans amounted to intimidation and coercion aimed at challenging European digital sovereignty.
“France condemns the visa restriction measures taken by the United States against Thierry Breton and four other European figures,” Macron stated. He stressed that such actions were designed to pressure Europe and undermine its right to set and enforce its own digital rules.
The U.S. State Department recently announced the visa bans, accusing Breton and the other affected individuals of attempting to “coerce” American social media companies into suppressing opinions they disagree with. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the individuals were involved in what he described as a coordinated campaign to advance censorship against American speakers and technology firms.
“These radical activists and weaponised NGOs have pushed censorship crackdowns by foreign governments, in each case targeting American voices and American companies,” Rubio said in remarks reported by the BBC.
Among those sanctioned is Thierry Breton, who previously served as the European Commission’s commissioner for the internal market and digital regulation. The U.S. State Department labelled Breton the key architect of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a law that places strict content moderation and compliance obligations on large technology platforms operating within the European Union.
Macron, however, rejected the U.S. characterisation, emphasising that the EU’s digital framework was adopted legitimately through democratic institutions. He noted that the rules were approved by the European Parliament and the Council following a sovereign legislative process.
“The European Union’s digital regulations were adopted through a democratic and sovereign process,” Macron said, adding that the laws are intended to promote fair competition, transparency and accountability in Europe’s digital market rather than target any specific foreign country.
He further explained that the regulations apply uniformly within Europe, ensuring that conduct deemed illegal offline is also treated as illegal online. “They apply within Europe to guarantee fair competition among platforms, without singling out any third country,” he said.
Reaffirming Europe’s right to self-regulation, Macron insisted that decisions about the EU’s digital environment must be made within the continent. “The rules governing the European Union’s digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe,” he declared.
The French president concluded by pledging continued cooperation with EU institutions and member states to protect Europe’s autonomy in digital regulation. “Together with the European Commission and our European partners, we will continue to defend our digital sovereignty and our regulatory independence,” he said.
Macron’s remarks come against the backdrop of growing friction between Washington and Brussels over the EU’s digital laws, particularly the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Both pieces of legislation impose tougher requirements on major technology companies, covering issues such as content moderation, competition practices and transparency.
Breton, one of the most outspoken advocates of these regulations, has previously clashed with U.S.-based technology firms and American officials over platform governance and online speech. The visa restrictions have since attracted criticism from European leaders, who maintain that the EU’s digital rules are sovereign laws applied consistently across the bloc.
The disagreement underscores wider transatlantic tensions over free expression, technology regulation and the balance of power between governments and major tech companies, as Europe and the United States advance differing visions for the future of the global digital landscape.