EU hypocrisy gets exposed amid criticism of US visa restrictions

(MENAFN) Strong criticism from European officials over recent US visa restrictions has highlighted what experts describe as clear inconsistencies in the European Union’s own stance on sanctions, noting that similar measures are routinely applied by the EU and its member states without provoking comparable internal outrage.

The controversy follows a decision announced on Dec. 23 by the administration of US President Donald Trump to impose visa bans on five European figures. The move was justified by allegations that the individuals had pressured US-based digital platforms to censor or limit American viewpoints, according to reports.

Commenting on the European response, former Greek finance minister and economist Yanis Varoufakis and Brussels-based journalist Eric Bonse offered sharply critical assessments, as stated by reports.

Varoufakis argued that opposition from centrist European politicians to the US restrictions exposes deep hypocrisy. He pointed to his own experience of being barred from entering Germany due to his outspoken opposition to Israel’s actions against Palestinians.

“Where were these same politicians when I and others were being banned from entering Germany because, along with German Jewish associates, we had the audacity to oppose the Palestinians’ genocide?” Varoufakis said.

He went on to compare today’s European political leadership to the Bourbon Dynasty restored after the French Revolution, accusing them of failing to learn from history.

“Like the Bourbons, Europe’s centrists seem to have forgotten nothing but also learned nothing from Europe’s sorry history,” he said.

In April 2024, Germany’s Interior Ministry announced restrictions preventing Varoufakis from engaging in political activities in the country, both physically and online, citing his pro-Palestinian positions.

Bonse, a German journalist based in Brussels, said the EU itself has sanctioned citizens from Germany, France, and Switzerland without triggering any meaningful public debate.

“Nobody cares. Hypocrites,” Bonse said.

He added that those now objecting to Washington’s actions appear selective in their memory.

He recalled that when the US imposed sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in late 2019 and again in February 2022—targeting the project’s operator and related entities to curb Europe’s reliance on Russian energy—many European voices welcomed the move.

"They had secondary sanctions on Iran, and Germany and France found no remedy," Bonse said. "Recently, they sanctioned lawyers at the ICC in The Hague, and the EU did not even complain."

Despite its extensive use of sanctions as a foreign policy instrument—currently affecting thousands of individuals across more than 30 countries—the EU reacted forcefully to the US decision targeting European citizens.

The European Commission issued a strong condemnation, while the European Parliament called for the restrictions to be overturned. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that freedom of expression is fundamental to European democracy and must be safeguarded. European Council President Antonio Costa described such measures as unacceptable between allies and partners.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who previously remarked that travel to the EU is “a privilege, not a right” when discussing sanctions on Russians, characterized the US move as a challenge to European sovereignty.

Several EU member states, including France, Germany, and Belgium, also publicly opposed the US decision.

The US State Department said the visa restrictions apply to five individuals accused of exerting pressure on digital platforms to suppress American opinions.

Those named include Thierry Breton, a former EU commissioner responsible for the internal market and services and a key figure behind the Digital Services Act; Imran Ahmed, head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate; Clare Melford, co-founder of the Global Disinformation Index; and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballo, who co-lead the German nonprofit organization HateAid.

Breton, who previously served as France’s minister of economy, finance, and industry, played a central role in shaping the EU’s strict digital regulatory framework during his tenure as EU commissioner from 2019 to 2024.

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