Washington Alleges EU Meddled in European Elections via Digital Censorship

Washington has delivered an unexpected blow to its allies after a confidential report alleged that the European Commission interfered in elections by exerting pressure on major technology companies.

Photo: whitehouse.gov by Lawrence Jackson (Executive Office of the President of the United States), https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

US Congress

US Congress Accuses EU of Election Manipulation

A new report by the House Judiciary Committee of the US Congress, published on February 3, 2026, and titled "The Foreign Censorship Threat,” accuses the European Commission of interfering in at least eight election campaigns across six European countries between 2023 and 2025. The countries named include France, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Ireland, and Romania.

The report draws on thousands of pages of internal correspondence obtained through subpoenas between the European Commission and major platforms such as TikTok, X, and Meta. According to the document, EU officials held more than 100 closed-door meetings with these companies, demanding the removal of content that did not violate the law but was deemed politically inconvenient, including criticism of migration policy, gender issues, and COVID-19 measures.

The committee states that EU officials relied on the Digital Services Act, a European Union regulation intended to create a "safe, transparent, and accountable online environment,” as a tool to pressure technology companies.

The report highlights Romania's 2024 presidential election in particular, claiming that the EU and France pressured Telegram and TikTok to block content associated with conservative candidate Călin Georgescu, despite the absence of evidence supporting allegations of Russian interference used to justify those actions.

Sanctions, Tariff Threats, and European Response

The US State Department has already imposed visa restrictions on five key figures responsible for EU digital policy, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton. US authorities accuse them of orchestrating a "global censorship-industrial complex.”

President Donald Trump warned that he would impose "substantial additional tariffs” on exports from countries that apply what he described as discriminatory digital legislation against American technology companies.

European Commission representatives dismissed the accusations as absurd and entirely unfounded. In Europe, officials view the report as part of the US election campaign and an attempt by the Trump administration to weaken the Digital Services Act, which limits the activities of American tech firms.

Following the publication of the report, French authorities conducted a search at the Paris office of X, and Elon Musk was summoned for questioning. In response, Republican lawmakers accused the EU of weaponizing regulation against the free speech rights of Americans.

Geopolitical Consequences and Implications for Russia

Allegations of election interference, particularly in Romania and Ireland, strike at the foundation of allied relations. When the United States accuses the European Union of practices previously attributed only to Russia or China, it raises questions about their ability to cooperate within NATO and other institutions.

Transatlantic relations have shifted toward open confrontation in the digital and ideological spheres, deepening the separation between the two Western power centers. The report has also reignited Romania's internal political tensions, elevating them into an international scandal.

For Russia, this conflict presents a strategic opportunity that reshapes the geopolitical balance. For years, Western states accused Moscow of election interference and censorship. Now that the United States officially levels similar accusations against the EU, Russia gains a powerful counterargument that undermines Western criticism of its own electoral processes.

Moscow can also use the report to challenge the credibility of European institutions by pointing to what it calls double standards in Brussels. As trade and diplomatic tensions between the US and the EU intensify, their ability to coordinate pressure on Russia weakens.

Donald Trump's support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán strengthens Hungary's independent position within the EU, helping Russia maintain an important channel of engagement with Europe. Growing divisions within the West turn Russia into a beneficiary-observer, as the clash between "American-style democracy,” focused on protecting domestic tech companies, and "European-style democracy,” framed as protection from alleged foreign influence, erodes the West's moral authority on the global stage.