BRUSSELS\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The European Union\u2019s executive arm on Wednesday warned that it would take action against any \u201cunjustified measures\u201d after the U.S. State Department barred five Europeans it accuses of pressuring U.S. technology firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints.<\/p>\n
The Europeans were characterized by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as \u201cradical\u201d activists and \u201cweaponized\u201d nongovernmental organizations. They include the former EU commissioner responsible for supervising social media rules, Thierry Breton.<\/p>\n
Breton, a businessman and former French finance minister, clashed last year on social media with tech billionaire Elon Musk over broadcasting an online interview with Donald Trump in the months leading up to the U.S. election.<\/p>\n
The European Commission, the EU\u2019s powerful executive branch and which supervises tech regulation in Europe, said that it \u201cstrongly condemns the U.S. decision to impose travel restrictions\u201d and that it has requested clarification about the move. French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures,\u201d the commission said in a statement, without elaborating.<\/p>\n
Rubio wrote in an X post on Tuesday that \u201cfor far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship,\u201d he posted.<\/p>\n
The European Commission countered that \u201cthe EU is an open, rules-based single market, with the sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values and international commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
Macron said that the visa restrictions \u201camount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty,\u201d he posted on X.<\/p>\n
Macron said that the EU\u2019s digital rules were adopted by \u201ca democratic and sovereign process\u201d involving all member countries and the European Parliament. He said that the rules \u201censure fair competition among platforms, without targeting any third country.\u201d<\/p>\n
He underlined that \u201cthe rules governing the European Union\u2019s digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n