France called on the European Union to make stronger use of its laws to protect itself from outside interference, while the Spanish prime minister yesterday harshly criticized Elon Musk, the American tech billionaire, who is increasingly commenting on European politics.
The European Union is facing the challenge of how to respond to Musk's posts on his social network X, in which he has criticized European leaders in recent weeks, causing concern across Europe, especially in countries where the traditional political scene is under pressure from right-wing populist parties.
Musk's support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), before the parliamentary elections in February, particularly upset European leaders, Reuters points out, adding that some European governments are pressuring the European Commission to use its legal arsenal against Musk's interference.
"Either the European Commission will apply the laws that exist to protect our single space with the utmost determination, or it will not, in which case it should consider returning those powers to the EU member states," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barot told Radio France. Inter.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez yesterday accused Musk of undermining democracy. "The international extreme right, which we have opposed in Spain for years, and which in this case is led by the richest man in the world, openly attacks our institutions, incites hatred and openly supports the heirs of Nazism in Germany," said Sanchez.
The issue is testing the EU's willingness to confront Musk head-on, risking angering the incoming Trump administration, as well as the effectiveness of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates the operation of social networking platforms in the EU.
It is not clear whether Musk, who should have the role of an external adviser in the Trump administration, is acting at his own discretion or with Trump's blessing, the British agency points out.
Musk just spent a quarter of a billion dollars to elect Trump. If he invests the same amount of money in the whole of Europe, he will turn every nation towards a populist agenda. There is no centrist left-wing government in Europe that will be able to withstand that onslaught, Bannon said
An EC spokesman said this Sunday that the DSA had already proven to be an effective instrument to counter the risks posed by leading social media platforms and that the policy decision was not to respond directly to Musk's tweets and "not to inflame the debate".
After a deadly car attack in Germany last month, Musk called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz an "incompetent fool" who should resign. Today, he will talk on his platform with the leader of the AfD, Alice Weidel.
Solz responded by calling for calm. "Don't feed the troll," he told German media last Sunday.
French President Emmanuel Macron also addressed Musk's comments this week.
"Ten years ago, who would have believed that the owner of one of the world's largest social networks would directly interfere in elections, including those in Germany," he said.
Britain, which is outside the European Union and enjoys a "special relationship" with the US, has also been the target of Musk's criticism of Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government, the latest of which relates to a child abuse scandal a decade ago.
During the US election campaign, Musk donated about 200 million dollars and used his social network to support Trump and the Republican Party, reminds Reuters.
Senior EU officials acknowledge the challenge posed by Musk's comments on regional policy, but insist the DSA is a sufficiently robust instrument.
“DSA explicitly protects freedom of expression online as one of its key goals. Mr Musk has the right to express his views in the EU, both online and offline, within legal limits," European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath told Reuters.
German analyst Wolfgang Munschau, however, believes that Europeans do not really have an answer to this kind of interference. "We keep hearing from Thierry Breton, the former European Commissioner for Industry, that the EU should use the Digital Services Act to hold Musk accountable. But the EU will not do that. Academics, journalists and media organizations, many of whom support the center-left, have abandoned Platform X in disgust and taken refuge on other platforms where they mostly talk to each other. "TikTok is also a platform that is mostly right-wing, not because of its Chinese owner, but because the right has shown greater skill in using it," said Munchau in a text for the Jurointelligence portal.
Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Trump, said in an interview with Bloomberg that Musk is using wealth and influence as valuable weapons to spread MAGA populism in Europe. "Money and information are the two tactical nuclear bombs of modern politics, and he can use them on an unprecedented scale," Bannon said.
Bannon, now a prominent right-wing podcaster, clashed with Musk in recent weeks over the US visa program, in which Trump sided with Musk. Despite the disagreements, Bannon said Musk's influence will benefit the MAGA movement, of which he is a staunch supporter. "I support his participation because the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Bannon said. "Musk just spent a quarter of a billion dollars to elect Trump," Bannon added. "If he invests the same amount of money in the whole of Europe, he will turn every nation towards a populist agenda. There is no centrist leftist government in Europe that will be able to withstand that onslaught".
Bonus video:
