US tech billionaire Elon Musk has become persona non grata for many European Union leaders.
They said they believed his comments on European politics through his online platform X amounted to “foreign interference“.
During the Ambassadors’ Conference in Paris on January 6, which outlined France’s diplomatic priorities for 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron criticised Musk’s alleged influence on European political affairs.
Macron has become the latest European leader to express disapproval of the tech mogul.
“Ten years ago, if someone had told us that the owner of one of the world’s largest social networks would support an international reactionary movement and directly intervene in elections, including in Germany, who would have imagined it?,” he said.
Macron’s remarks came as France’s parliament passed a bill targeting foreign political interference.
The legislation allows for freezing the assets of individuals, companies, or entities found guilty of such interference.
Under the bill, foreign entities include non-EU foreign companies, half or more of which are foreign-owned or funded, and foreign political parties.
In his speech, Macron referred to Musk’s comments supporting hard-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the upcoming livestream interview with AfD co-leader Alice Wielder.
Ahead of Musk’s interview with Wielder, many feared that the event could pose a risk to the elections in the upcoming general election in Germany, scheduled for February 23, by boosting AfD’s political profile.
When asked whether the interview could be a “risk for electoral processes” in Germany, the European Commission told Brussels Signal on January 7 that, under the Digital Services Act (DSA), online platforms were required to “assess and mitigate a number of systemic risks posed by their services, including risks to electoral processes and civic discourse”.
Failure to comply with these obligations could trigger a commission investigation.
“This includes the obligation to analyse and mitigate risks deriving from any preferential treatment or visibility given to the content on a given platform, including Mr Musk’s content on his own platform” the commission added.
X is already under investigation by the EC, which announced it will monitor live-stream interviews as part of the current investigation.
Under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), if the EC believed X had failed to manage risks related to elections and public debate during the German ballot, especially due to preferential treatment or visibility of content promoted by Musk, it could be considered foreign interference.
The EC could thus open formal proceedings against X for that.
The body was also set to organise a roundtable discussion on January 24 with German regulators and X to discuss potential risks related to the upcoming German election.
Experts including former Commissioner Thierry Breton have said they believed the way Musk was using X was potentially problematic
“If as soon as you open X you immediately get 100 or 150 tweets from Elon Musk coming at you in bursts without you having asked for anything, that could be a problem,” he said on January 3.
A recent report written by Professor Timothy Graham at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia and Professor Mark Andrejevic of Monash University in Melbourne suggested a “possible algorithm bias” on X.
Such alleged algorithm biases were possibly used during the 2024 US presidential elections.
“The analysis reveals a structural engagement shift around mid-July 2024, suggesting platform-level changes that influenced engagement metrics for all accounts under examination,” they wrote.
“The date at which the structural break (spike) in engagement occurs coincides with Elon Musk’s formal endorsement of Donald Trump on 13th July 2024.”
EU politicians including German S&D Dirk Wiese have already called for anti-trust measures against Musk similar to the Sherman Antitrust Act.
“The concentration of economic and media power in the hands of a single individual, as is the case with Elon Musk, poses risks to democratic processes and fair competition,” he told Brussels Signal on January 7.
However, he argued that German democracy remains strong.
“Our institutions are designed to safeguard their integrity even in challenging times, “he said.
Wiese’s words echo those of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In his NYE speech, Scholz commented that the future of Germany “will not be decided by the owners of social media channels.”
With Elon Musk set to become part of the US government, Dirk Wiese underscored the importance for Germany to commit to “an open and constructive dialogue with the US administration”.
However, he also emphasised that “it is vital to uphold European sovereignty and take a clear stance against interference by individuals or corporations”.
Not everyone in the EU is against the tech guru and X, with several right-wing leaders and politicians supporting Musk, citing free speech.
Speaking to Brussels Signal, Slovenian politician Branko Grims said on December 31 Musk deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for supporting free speech, arguing that without it, all other fundamental rights were unachievable.
Timeline of Musk’s comments regarding Europe in the past few months.
August 4, 2024 – Musk commented about the UK summer 2024 riots “Civil war is inevitable.”
November 28, 2024- Musk denounces the “two-tier” justice system in Germany.
November 29, 2024, 29- Musk urged “The people of Ireland will vote for freedom”
November 24, 2024- Musk posted a grok AI post mocking former German Chancellor Angela Merkel
December 20, 2024 – Musk commented “Only AfD can save Germany”
December, 31 2024- Musk commented “Steinmeier is an anti-democratic tyrant! Shame on him”
January 5, 2025- Musk commented on X: “The Reform party needs a new leader”
