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unherd.comVon der Leyen stabs Thierry Breton in the frontUrsula von der Leyen’s second term as European Commission President is not even off the ground, yet the appointment of her new top team is already plagued by problems. Appointments to the EU’s College...

This is a critical test for European leaders. 🇪🇺President von der Leyen notoriously loathes her former digital commissioner. But if she and Macron let stand that the US can ban EU lawmakers simply because the government doesn't like EU laws, that is a watershed moment in European servility.

24/12/25, 1:20 am21 reposts73 likes

Catio Miles

@catiomiles.bsky.social

Agree with the sentiment But please, please, please do not link unherd content.

Thorfinn Stainforth

@bxlthor.bsky.social

mister-sister.bsky.social

indeed, seems unlikely to be the hill she will die on... If there was any political leadership all the non-US democracies should band together, draw a line in the sand, and say they can all regulate and tax big tech. They are all fighting individual actions on this exact same issue.

@mister-sister.bsky.social

Ok, but we must not let our leadership allone....they need our backing so we must show them that we are ready to protect & defend our common free Europe

Still no response yet from 🇪🇺President @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu to the US government following through on its threat to sanction 🇪🇺lawmakers over digital laws But the Commission and Council chair Costa have put out statements on X in the past hour (interestingly, still no statements here on Bluesky)

ec.europa.euStatement by the European Commission on the U.S. decision to impose travel restrictions on certain EU individualsThe European Commission strongly condemns the U.S. decision to impose travel restrictions on five European individuals, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton.\nFreedom of expression is

The 🇪🇺Commission "strongly condemns the 🇺🇸decision". The EU has "the sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values and international commitments." "If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures."

🇫🇷President Macron has posted this reaction to the 🇺🇸 sanctioning former 🇪🇺Digital Commissioner @thierrybreton.bsky.social (again only on X and not Bluesky). Breton is the former CEO of the giant France Télécom (Orange). The shocking and unprecedented nature of this can't be overstated.