European politicians across the continent have reacted with alarm after the US firm Anthropic announced it would suspend access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for all foreign nationals following a directive from the Trump administration. The move, which took effect late Friday, has been described as a stark reminder of Europe's dependence on American technology and a catalyst for renewed calls to invest in homegrown alternatives.
Anthropic stated that it received a letter from the US government ordering the suspension over national security concerns. “The net effect of this order is that we must abruptly disable Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all our customers to ensure compliance,” the company said. The decision affects researchers, businesses, and institutions across Europe that had been testing or piloting the models.
Political Reactions Across Europe
Bruno Retailleau, former French interior minister and a candidate for the 2027 presidential election, wrote on X: “Washington's decision to cut access to Anthropic's most powerful models should serve as a wake-up call. In the race for artificial intelligence, a nation that depends on others for its technology is a nation that can be unplugged overnight.” He highlighted France's assets, including nuclear electricity and companies like Mistral, OVHcloud, Scaleway, and ChapsVision, but insisted that “we must put an end to naivety and decide, at last, to rearm our technological power.”
In the United Kingdom, Al Carns, a former minister for the armed forces who recently resigned over a defence spending dispute, said: “This week the most advanced AI model on the planet got switched off by a foreign government. British researchers were studying it. British companies were testing it. British hospitals were piloting it. Not any more.” He added: “This isn't an AI story. It's the story of every industry we used to lead.”
Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch far-right Party for Freedom, posted: “I want my #Anthropic Claude Fable 5 back!” He argued that “AI is more and more national sovereignty” and called for the Netherlands to accelerate its own model development.
Benjamin Haddad, France's minister delegate for Europe, described the US decision as “an accelerator of the geopolitical battle over AI.” He stressed: “Europe cannot settle for being an open market dependent on technologies designed, funded, and controlled elsewhere. It must invest more, support its innovators, and equip itself with the means to master the technologies that will determine power in the 21st century.”
Tom Tugendhat, a British MP and former security minister, framed the issue in terms of national security: “Disabling Fable 5 and other models for foreigners is not a misunderstanding or a mistake, it’s the inevitable result of technology shaping warfare so that sovereignty is more about code than cannons.” He criticised the UK's response, saying: “With high energy costs and the emphasis on safety not opportunity, Britain’s response has been to build the brake, cutting ourselves off from the future and tying ourselves to the past. We cannot continue like this and remain sovereign.”
Édouard Philippe, former French prime minister and mayor of Le Havre, warned: “By restricting access to Anthropic's most powerful models for non-Americans, the US government is choosing to subject AI development to its logic of power. AI is now a critical infrastructure, as essential as electricity or the Internet. An infrastructure whose models and computing power we do not control is an infrastructure that others can unplug.”
Jordan Bardella, president of France's far-right National Rally party and a Member of the European Parliament, posted: “The Trump administration suspends access to Anthropic's latest AI models for all non-American nationals: this sudden decision comes to remind us that artificial intelligence is already a major issue of national sovereignty.”
The episode has also drawn attention to broader European efforts to build independent AI capabilities. The European Union has invested in initiatives like the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking and the AI Act, but critics argue that funding and coordination remain insufficient. The €170 million commitment by Anthropic to study AI's impact on jobs now seems a distant concern compared to the immediate loss of access.
For many, the lesson is clear: Europe must accelerate its own AI development or risk being permanently locked out of the most advanced systems. As the high cost of Fable 5 already raised questions about accessibility, the US directive has turned a commercial issue into a geopolitical one. The question now is whether European governments will respond with the urgency that politicians across the spectrum are demanding.
