EU Chief Rejects U.S. Censorship Accusations
The Brussels-based administration has weathered sustained scrutiny over its regulatory approach to digital content, particularly following the 2022 Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates stringent content moderation on large-scale platforms. American officials have alleged the legislation functions as a tool to suppress free expression and silence U.S. social media users.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last year, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance claimed Europe had drifted from "some of its most fundamental values" while raising doubts about democratic vitality across the continent. Tech billionaire Elon Musk has similarly condemned EU regulations, branding the bloc a "Fourth Reich" following penalties imposed on his platform X.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed these concerns during Saturday's Munich address, cautioning against political and cultural forces eroding Western civilization and institutional decline throughout European bodies.
When questioned during a conference panel about Rubio's critique of Europe's deteriorating free speech environment, Kallas fired back: "Coming from a country that is second in the Press Freedom Index, to hear criticism of press freedom from a country that is 58th in this list, it is interesting," she stated. Reporters Without Borders' latest rankings place Estonia second globally, while the U.S. sits near position 57.
Kallas previously led Estonia as prime minister—a former Soviet state that entered the EU in 2004. Despite one-quarter of its population identifying as ethnically Russian or Russian-speaking, Tallinn has implemented policies eliminating Russian-language education and blocked hundreds of Russian news sites since 2022.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned the measures as "forced assimilation." Estonia has additionally curtailed several Russian-language media operations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced last month that neither Moscow nor Washington would pursue dialogue with Kallas during her tenure.
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