🔗 Share this article European Union Could Retaliate to ‘Unwarranted’ US Visa Bans, Official Says The EU might “act quickly and firmly” against what it deems “unwarranted” visa bans issued by the United States against five European individuals working on combating digital hatred and disinformation, a European Commission spokesperson has said. EU Officials Decry US Move as ‘Coercion’ European leaders including the French president charged Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, following the travel bans targeted figures who have been at the heart of efforts to enact legislation regulating American tech companies. “For far too long, European activists have spearheaded organised efforts to coerce US companies to punish US perspectives they oppose,” stated the US secretary of state online. “The current administration will no longer tolerate such actions of censorship beyond its borders.” Broad Criticism From EU Nations Nations including Germany, Spain, and the UK, alongside numerous EU representatives supported the French president in condemning the move. The bans were enacted on Tuesday on a former EU commissioner who helped draft the bloc’s digital governance law, as well as several activists fighting false information, from two in Germany and two in the UK. An Escalating Conflict Regarding Governance The DSA is viewed by US officials as a form of censorship, whereas European leaders argue the rules are necessary to combat inflammatory language and disinformation. This row threatens to become a facet of a much broader existing political and ideological clash between Washington and Europe. Additional Updates Reported Today In other legal news: A US district judge has halted efforts to cut security grants to states which resist certain immigration enforcement policies. The judge ruled the case was “another example” of linking government assistance to adherence to directives. Approval was given for the dispatch of 350 national guard members to New Orleans ahead of the new year, coinciding with an active border security initiative. The nation of Palau has agreed to accept a limited number of migrants from the US in exchange for additional aid, following concluding a memorandum of understanding with US authorities. Additionally, a congressional representative has initiated legal action to demand the stripping of the current president’s name from a well-known cultural institution in Washington DC. Analysts have also noted that comments regarding foreign petroleum resources align with a wider ideology in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, leading to parallels with past foreign policy strategies.
The EU might “act quickly and firmly” against what it deems “unwarranted” visa bans issued by the United States against five European individuals working on combating digital hatred and disinformation, a European Commission spokesperson has said. EU Officials Decry US Move as ‘Coercion’ European leaders including the French president charged Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, following the travel bans targeted figures who have been at the heart of efforts to enact legislation regulating American tech companies. “For far too long, European activists have spearheaded organised efforts to coerce US companies to punish US perspectives they oppose,” stated the US secretary of state online. “The current administration will no longer tolerate such actions of censorship beyond its borders.” Broad Criticism From EU Nations Nations including Germany, Spain, and the UK, alongside numerous EU representatives supported the French president in condemning the move. The bans were enacted on Tuesday on a former EU commissioner who helped draft the bloc’s digital governance law, as well as several activists fighting false information, from two in Germany and two in the UK. An Escalating Conflict Regarding Governance The DSA is viewed by US officials as a form of censorship, whereas European leaders argue the rules are necessary to combat inflammatory language and disinformation. This row threatens to become a facet of a much broader existing political and ideological clash between Washington and Europe. Additional Updates Reported Today In other legal news: A US district judge has halted efforts to cut security grants to states which resist certain immigration enforcement policies. The judge ruled the case was “another example” of linking government assistance to adherence to directives. Approval was given for the dispatch of 350 national guard members to New Orleans ahead of the new year, coinciding with an active border security initiative. The nation of Palau has agreed to accept a limited number of migrants from the US in exchange for additional aid, following concluding a memorandum of understanding with US authorities. Additionally, a congressional representative has initiated legal action to demand the stripping of the current president’s name from a well-known cultural institution in Washington DC. Analysts have also noted that comments regarding foreign petroleum resources align with a wider ideology in some quarters of “resource imperialism”, leading to parallels with past foreign policy strategies.