France slams US visa bans on Breton as ‘intimidation’ against EU digital sovereignty
France’s President Emmanuel Macron
Abdullateef Fowewe
French President, Emmanuel Macron has sharply condemned the United States on Wednesday for imposing visa restrictions on European Commission tech chief Thierry Breton and four other European figures, calling the move a blatant act of “intimidation and coercion.”
In a strongly worded post on X, Macron defended the EU’s digital regulations as a product of democratic processes.
“France condemns the visa restriction measures taken by the United States against Thierry Breton and four other European figures,” he wrote.
“These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.”
Macron emphasised that the EU’s rules, including landmark laws like the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, were approved by the European Parliament and Council to promote fair competition.
“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,” he stated.
The French leader rejected any external influence over Europe’s digital future.
“The rules governing the European Union’s digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe,” Macron declared.
He pledged solidarity with the European Commission and partners to “continue to defend our digital sovereignty and our regulatory autonomy.”
The visa curbs, reportedly linked to tensions over EU antitrust probes into US tech giants like Google and Meta, mark a fresh escalation in transatlantic trade frictions.
