The EU must stand up to Musk and Zuckerberg

A sudden offensive from the west has taken Europeans, more accustomed to keeping an eye on their eastern front, by surprise. In the run-up to Donald Trump's arrival in the White House on January 20, Europe, its political establishment and its vision of social media have been the target of a barrage of attacks and threats, sometimes from the president-elect himself, sometimes from his high-tech clique.

The most virulent is undoubtedly Elon Musk, industrial heavyweight and owner of the social media network X which he acquired for $44 billion, and on which he attacked the British and German governments. Leveraging the power of his algorithms, he bombarded Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer with spurious accusations that he had protected immigrant pedophile gangs and called for his resignation.

In Germany, in the midst of the election campaign, he called for people to vote for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. On Thursday, January 9, Musk interviewed the leader of the AfD, Alice Weidel, for an hour and a quarter on X. She suddenly presented her party as "libertarian" and "conservative."

European leaders were then confronted with another type of aggression – a territorial one – when Trump reiterated his desire to conquer Greenland, a territory under Danish sovereignty. Then it was Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who controls Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, who attacked what he described as "institutionalized censorship" by "European laws" to limit freedom of expression.

Bewildered, European leaders are slow to react collectively. They were expecting a cascade of tariffs from the incoming Trump administration, but now they are subjected to ideological fire. The statement that was eventually issued Thursday evening – on X of all places! – by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa could not hide their disquiet: "The US is one of our closest partners and we are committed to strengthening the Transatlantic bond," they wrote, while recalling Europe's "fundamental democratic values."

A distinction needs to be made between the relationship with the future president of the country that ensures the security of its European allies and the response to be given to its social media CEOs, however close they may be to said president. Trump is not Vladimir Putin and, as shown by his change of position on the prospect of a settlement to the war in Ukraine, which he now expects in months rather than hours, he is not deaf to the principle of reality. But, in both cases, firmness is required. Firstly, recalling the principle of territorial sovereignty is the minimum solidarity that should be shown to Denmark, a member of the European Union (EU).

Secondly, putting Musk and Zuckerberg back in their place is a way of signaling to Trump that the hunting season is not open in Europe. Yes, Musk's offensive is political, as President Emmanuel Macron noted, and it interferes with our electoral processes. Yes, the EU has the regulatory tools to reconcile freedom of expression and democratic values on its sovereign territory, given its history and culture. We must make unwavering use of them.

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