The European Commission said it would "ensure" receipt of the money after Elon Musk's social platform X was fined 120 million euros for violating transparency rules. The European Commission said on Friday that X violated the transparency obligations and deceptive interface design rules under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), and therefore decided to impose a penalty of 120 million euros.
The decision sparked a backlash from U.S. officials, Musk and his supporters, who accused the EU of censorship, with some even suggesting that X should refuse to pay the fine.
European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said in response to reporters' questions at a regular press conference: "X must pay this fine. This 120 million euros must be paid, and we will ensure that we get the money."
He noted that X would still have the opportunity to challenge the decision in court. “Procedural steps need to be followed and any decision taken by the Commission can be challenged before the EU Court of Justice.”
Spokesperson Regnier later appealed for patience in an interview: "Don't rush to conclusions. We have just made a decision and imposed a fine on X. The company must now pay and have 90 days to respond to us."
X has not yet stated whether he will appeal.
X has not yet issued a formal response, but its global government affairs account responsible for regulatory affairs has forwarded relevant comments from US officials.
Musk threatened further action in a post on