Germany on Wednesday said a US State Department decision to deny visas to five prominent figures in the European tech sphere over freedom of speech was "not acceptable". A German non-government group targeted by the US measures, HateAid, labelled them an "act of repression". Washington announced sanctions on Tuesday against Thierry Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, and four others -- including two members of the German group. "The entry bans imposed by the USA, including those against the chairpersons of HateAid, are not acceptable," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul wrote in a post on X. "The DSA was democratically adopted by the EU for the EU – it does not have extraterritorial effect," he added.

Source: The Local December 24, 2025 11:27 UTC