European Union officials on Wednesday defended landmark digital rules after the Trump administration went after what it said was a machine designed to foment censorship and imposed sanctions, including a visa ban, on a former EU commissioner.
In a statement, the European Commission “strongly condemned” the US decision, stressing that freedom of expression is “a fundamental right in Europe and a core value that we share with the United States throughout the democratic world.”
Brussels asserted that the EU has the sovereign right to regulate digital markets in line with its values, adding that its rules will be applied “fairly and without discrimination”.
The committee stated that it will “respect Japan’s regulatory autonomy and respond swiftly and resolutely to any unreasonable measures” from the U.S. side, if necessary.
Digital rules have become a point of tension between Washington and Brussels, with both governments accusing each other of politicizing what should be standard market rules for companies operating in the EU.
The friction worsened when the United States released a controversial national security strategy earlier this month, arguing that Europe faces the end of civilization unless it fundamentally changes course.
The Trump administration said in a statement that Europe is drowning in illegal and excessive regulation and censorship.
The document builds on assumptions made by US Vice President J.D. Vance during a speech at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, in which he argued that internal rules pose the most significant risks to the EU.
He referred to the EU commissioner as a “commissioner” and argued that foreign interference is often used to censor content.
The EU denies this, insisting the rules are applied fairly.
France pushes back against US over ‘coercion’
French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, denounced the US government’s threats against Breton, a former European commissioner appointed by Macron himself, after the visa ban, saying it amounted to “coercion aimed at undermining Europe’s digital sovereignty.”
The French president, who has long advocated strategic autonomy, said Westerners alone can decide the digital rules governing EU markets.
President Macron said he spoke by phone to Breton after the ban was announced and “thanked him for his great contribution in the service of Europe.”
“We will stand firm against pressure and protect the European people,” the French president said in a post on X.
Mr Breton was the European Commissioner for the Internal Market under President Ursula von der Leyen and played a key role in drafting the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to hold people accountable for the content they publish on social media and large online platforms.
Under the DSA, digital companies can be fined up to 6% of their global annual revenue for violations, with special penalties for various violations.
Using fines and tariffs as leverage for both sides
Earlier this month, the European Commission imposed a €120 million fine on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, triggering the DSA for the first time.
The fine prompted an angry response from tech billionaires who called for the EU to be abolished.
Fines are not uncommon, and multiple U.S. governments have argued that they are targeted efforts to punish innovation made in the United States, but the Trump administration has been more aggressive in its tone and countermeasures.
The US government has indicated it will only reduce tariffs on key European sectors such as steel and aluminum if the EU agrees to ease the introduction of digital rules.
For the EU, this is a red line that cannot be crossed, as it would undermine its right to make policy independent of the US government.
After being hit with a wave of tariffs reaching 15% on most European goods over the summer, Brussels insisted the deal was the best of all options on the table as it would bring certainty to business with a single tariff rate, and reiterated that policy independence would be guaranteed as digital rules were excluded from negotiations.
Recent actions by the Trump administration suggest that may not be enough.
