FRANCE CALLS US VISA RESTRICTIONS ON 5 EUROPEANS “INTIMIDATION AND COERCION”

Wed 24 December 2025:

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday condemned visa restriction measures imposed by the US on former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and four other European figures, calling them acts of “intimidation and coercion.”

“France condemns the visa restriction measures taken by the United States against Thierry Breton and four other European figures. These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty,” Macron said on US social media company X.

Macron stressed that the EU’s digital rules were adopted through a “democratic and sovereign process” by the European Parliament and the Council, and apply within Europe to ensure fair competition among digital platforms.

He said the regulations do not target any third country and are designed to ensure that what is illegal offline is also illegal online.

“The rules governing the European Union’s digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe,” Macron said.

France, he added, will continue to stand alongside the European Commission and European partners to defend the bloc’s digital sovereignty and regulatory autonomy.

The US imposed visa restrictions on five individuals accused of leading organized efforts to coerce platforms into censoring “American viewpoints,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday.

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Macron defends Greenland’s sovereignty

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday reaffirmed his country’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland.

Referring to his visit to Greenland’s capital Nuuk last June, Macron said Greenland “belongs to its people,” while Denmark “is its guarantor.”

“I associate my voice with that of Europeans to express our full solidarity,” he said on US social media company X.

France, Macron added, remains committed to upholding international law and supporting its European partners in safeguarding territorial integrity.

His remarks came after Trump named Jeff Landry, the governor of the state of Louisiana, as Washington’s special envoy to Greenland.

Trump called Landry “a great guy. He’s a deal guy.”

“We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals…We need Greenland for national security. And if you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security. We have to have it…Greenland’s a big deal,” he added.

Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish sovereignty, has attracted US interest due to its strategic location and vast mineral resources.

Trump previously described owning Greenland as an “absolute necessity” for US economic security, likening it to a “large real estate deal.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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