He won’t be banned from Europe, but Europe might be better off if he were.
THE IDEA THAT THE EUROPEAN UNION may consider sanctioning Tucker Carlson for his interview with Vladimir Putin—first floated by Guy Verhofstadt, a liberal member of European Parliament and former prime minister of Belgium—seems dead in the water. But that has done little to attenuate outrage and wild speculation, particularly on the Putin-curious right.
Of course, there are currently “no discussions in the relevant EU bodies” about sanctioning Carlson, according to the European Commission’s spokesperson. Even if there were, any measures targeting him would face legal obstacles and political battles (not least because allies generally sanction each other’s nationals only in extreme circumstances)—and besides, the EU can’t do anything that quickly.
That said, the EU and/or its member states would be fully within their rights to sanction Carlson—if they perceive him as engaged in activities that harm their collective interest. The Commission’s spokesperson added that the EU could, theoretically, sanction “propagandists” who have a “track record” of working to “undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and to promote the illegal and brutal aggression by Putin.”
Sovereign states—or, in the case of the EU, supranational organizations—have almost by definition the plenary power to vet who gets into their country—a power Carlson and his supporters would no doubt defend, and indeed havedefended.
Given the importance of Ukraine to Europe’s security, it would be reasonable for the EU to refuse entry to those who support Russia’s effort to wipe Ukraine off the map.