EU chief Costa criticizes US vision of Europe in its new strategy

European Council President António Costa said the European Union must draw consequences from the United States' new national security.

"We need to focus on building a Europe that must understand that the relationships between allies and the post-World War II alliances have changed," Costa said at an event in Paris.

Costa strongly criticized allegations that free speech is being censored in Europe and the approval of the "growing influence of patriotic European parties," as the US strategy states.

"What we cannot accept is this threat of interference in Europe's political life. The United States cannot replace European citizens in deciding which are the right parties and the wrong parties," Costa said.

"The United States cannot replace Europe in its vision of freedom of speech," he said, adding, "our history has taught us that there is no freedom of speech without freedom of information."

Costa criticized the influence of some US tech companies, saying "there will be no freedom of speech if citizens' freedom of information is sacrificed to defend the tech oligarchs of the United States."

Costa, who is in charge of forging compromises between EU leaders but also of the bloc's relations with international leaders, urged Europeans to continue stepping up rearmament efforts.