The United States announced visa sanctions on December 23, 2025, targeting former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and four civil society figures over their roles in regulating American digital platforms, signalling heightened tensions between Washington and Brussels on tech policy and European sovereignty.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa bans on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, against Thierry Breton, who served as European Union commissioner for the internal market from 2019 to 2024, and four civil society activists involved in efforts to regulate US-based digital platforms operating in Europe, framing the move as a response to what he described as European “ideologues.”
Sanctions Target Key Figures in EU Tech Regulation
According to Le Monde, the US sanctions take the form of visa bans and specifically name former EU commissioner Thierry Breton alongside four individuals from civil society organisations engaged in overseeing US digital platforms. These measures, announced on December 23, 2025, are portrayed by the publication as the beginning of a broader offensive by the United States against the European Union. The sanctions come amid ongoing disputes over European regulatory initiatives aimed at curbing the power of American tech giants.
As reported by Claire Guélaud for Le Monde, Thierry Breton condemned the actions, describing them as a “wind of McCarthyism blowing again.”
Background of Franco-US Tech Tensions
Thierry Breton’s tenure as EU internal market commissioner from 2019 to 2024 placed him at the forefront of Europe’s push to regulate big tech through landmark legislation including the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA). According to Le Monde, these laws emerged from democratic processes within the EU, securing overwhelming support in the European Parliament with 539 votes to 54 for the DSA and 588 to 11 for the DMA. Even far-right lawmakers, such as those from France’s Rassemblement National, largely abstained rather than opposing the measures outright.
US Justification and European Response
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the sanctions by denouncing what he called “imaginary ideologues in Europe,” according to Le Monde. The publication counters that the so-called “global censorship-industrial complex,” a term invoked by the US State Department, actually reflects legitimate EU regulatory efforts backed by member states and institutions. Breton’s criticism of a resurgent “McCarthyism” underscores European concerns over perceived US overreach in defence of its tech sector interests.
Implications for EU-US Relations
These sanctions follow recent US actions including the release of a national security strategy that explicitly calls for dismantling the European Union and the appointment of a special envoy for Greenland, as noted by Le Monde. The measures also challenge earlier European efforts at accommodation, such as concessions made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on July 27, 2025, which were intended to ensure stability in transatlantic ties but have now been undermined. Previous US customs tariffs, whose legality remains contested in American courts, highlight a pattern of escalating pressure on Europe.
The visa bans on Thierry Breton and the four civil society figures, announced by the United States on December 23, 2025, represent the latest flashpoint in transatlantic disputes over digital regulation, with European sources viewing them as an assault on the EU’s sovereign regulatory framework.
