Macron asks Trump to lift U.S. visa bans on European officials
Macron presses Washington over travel bans tied to digital-moderation clash
French President Emmanuel Macron sent a formal letter to U.S. President Donald Trump asking that visa restrictions placed last year on several European figures — including top EU digital policy actors — be lifted.
The sanctions were imposed after a U.S. determination that a group of European officials and activists had overstepped in efforts to curb harmful online content, a move Paris characterises as an affront to European regulatory sovereignty and to the political oversight of content moderation.
By taking the case to the executive level, Paris signals a preference for negotiation over tit‑for‑tat escalation, while simultaneously raising the political cost of maintaining the measures.
Macron’s intervention comes against the backdrop of his broader push for a tougher EU posture toward Washington on digital rules: public comments and policymaker outreach suggest Paris is prepared to use trade and macroeconomic levers — including debate over tariffs and the euro’s strength — as part of a calibrated European response if pressure persists.
A related U.S. Supreme Court decision has already narrowed the administration’s ability to pursue a headline, wide‑ranging tariff via emergency authority, reducing the probability of an immediate 10% global levy. But that ruling does not remove other statutory routes — notably Section 122 of the Trade Act — or administrative instruments (export controls, targeted sanctions) that Washington could deploy instead.
That legal nuance matters for both capitals: it lowers the odds of a single dramatic tariff headline but increases the likelihood of more targeted, statute‑based and administratively complex measures that are harder to litigate away and that could be used selectively against EU interests.
Brussels and national capitals will watch the White House reaction closely. A successful appeal would strengthen EU bargaining leverage on cross‑border digital governance; a refusal could trigger coordinated European responses that bind regulatory, trade and macro policy choices together.
For companies, the episode raises the prospect of simultaneous pressures: tighter compliance obligations in Europe and heightened trade or regulatory frictions with the U.S., elevating legal and operational uncertainty for platforms, cloud providers and exporters.
Diplomatically, expect intensified quiet diplomacy, EU internal coordination and possible linkage of the visa question to broader negotiations over data flows, regulatory cooperation and market access. Any decision window is likely to play out over weeks and months rather than days.
The episode illustrates a growing pattern: disagreements over how to govern online platforms increasingly spill into classic state‑to‑state tools — visas, tariffs, targeted sanctions — complicating transatlantic cooperation on digital policy and trade.
Read Our Expert Analysis
Create an account or login for free to unlock our expert analysis and key takeaways for this development.
By continuing, you agree to receive marketing communications and our weekly newsletter. You can opt-out at any time.
Recommended for you
Macron urges firmer EU response as U.S. readies pressure on trade and digital rules
French president Emmanuel Macron warned that Brussels must adopt a firmer posture toward Washington as tensions rise over digital regulation and possible trade penalties, and he will also raise the euro’s recent appreciation at next week’s European Council as part of a broader push to coordinate EU responses. He signalled an expectation of a confrontation this year that could produce U.S. countermeasures such as tariffs if the EU proceeds with stricter tech rules, and argued that currency moves and competitiveness are linked to those regulatory choices.
Macron’s Envoy Makes a Rare Diplomatic Trip to Moscow
A senior French envoy traveled to Moscow for unusually high-level discussions with Russian officials, marking a notable reopening of diplomatic channels amid strained ties. The visit appears aimed at preserving communication lines and pursuing tactical objectives such as deconfliction and humanitarian arrangements, while carrying political and alliance-management risks for Paris.
Macron to Put Euro’s Strength on the EU Summit Agenda, Seeking Coordinated Response
President Macron will raise the euro’s recent appreciation at next week’s European Council to press for a collective assessment of its growth, inflation and competitiveness effects. Market moves — driven by fading dollar safe-haven flows, shifting rate expectations and rising trader positioning — mean the political debate now intersects with tangible corporate hedging costs and FX liquidity dynamics.
Macron: US Court Decision Recasts Global Tariff Risk
President Macron welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6–3 opinion that undercut the emergency statutory basis for a proposed 10% global tariff, calling it a check on executive power and short‑term relief for exporters. He warned that Washington can and likely will pivot to alternative statutory or administrative routes (notably Section 122 of the Trade Act) and pressed for coordinated Franco‑EU contingency plans across agriculture, luxury, fashion and aeronautics.
Macron urges EU to convert economic weight into strategic power
President Emmanuel Macron urged EU leaders to pool resources and treat the bloc as a geopolitical actor, proposing mutualised borrowing to finance roughly €1.2tn a year for defence, clean energy and AI. He also plans to raise the euro’s recent appreciation at the European Council and signalled a tougher posture on digital regulation with the United States, framing fiscal, currency and regulatory levers as a connected strategic toolkit.
Macron pushes child-focused social media and AI rules as G7 priority
President Emmanuel Macron announced that protecting young people from online harms will be a central objective of France’s G7 presidency in 2026. He publicly urged international partners, citing engagement with India, to back cross-border actions targeting platform and AI-driven risks to minors.
Europe's bid for economic autonomy collides with entrenched U.S. links
European leaders are pressing for greater economic independence after a cycle of abrupt U.S. diplomacy exposed strategic vulnerabilities, but practical decoupling would be costly and slow. In addition to diversification through trade pacts and energy sourcing, capitals are quietly weighing financial and regulatory levers — from tighter procurement rules to trimming sovereign exposures — even as those tools carry significant economic and legal risks.
European Parliament Moves to Pause Turnberry Agreement Ratification
The European Parliament’s trade committee has signalled a conditional pause on formal ratification of the Turnberry Agreement pending legal review and concrete U.S. tariff commitments, even as low‑profile diplomacy in Washington has reopened technical talks and prompted parliamentary amendments that accelerate consideration and insert a March 2028 sunset. The result is a dual‑track process — administrative and legal workstreams restarting while political endorsement remains explicitly contingent — increasing the chance of short‑term market confusion and a multi‑month ratification tug‑of‑war.