EU may fine, suspend, or ban X if rules are violated, says official

The European Union could impose fines, suspend, or even ban the social media platform X if it fails to comply with the bloc's regulations, according to the EU Commission's executive vice-president, who made the statement on Monday, News.az reports citing foreign media.

Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy of the EU Commission and former French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne recalled, in an interview with broadcaster France Inter, that EU Commissioner Henna Virkkunen extended the investigation against Elon Musk’s X last week, formerly known as Twitter, “in order to have a legal basis to go before the judge.”

The EU has rules that will be applied, Sejourne stressed and added that the commissioner’s report would take into account all the debates that occurred in the last few weeks, including those about Musk’s political interference in Europe after he expressed support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of the Feb. 23 general elections in Germany.

“The report will come out, the file will be brought to the judge, sanctions can be very very strong and amount to billions of euros. In the end, if it is not respected, it could lead to a ban, a suspension (of X),” Sejourne explained.

News.Az