According to reports, the European Union threatened to ban Twitter if Elon Musk doesn’t abide by its strict content moderation rules.

The Financial Times reported the warning. This could signal the beginning of a regulatory battle for the future of social media platforms across Europe.

The threat was made by EU industry chief Thierry Brouton during a video conference with Musk on Wednesday, according to the news outlet.

Breton instructed the world’s wealthiest man that he must follow a set of rules as laid out in the EU’s Digital Services Act.

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These include the requirement to abandon an “arbitrary” approach for reinstating banned users, and to agree to an “extensive independent auditor” of the platform by next-year.

This landmark law sets the standard for how tech giants should police internet content.

Breton provided a transcript of the conversation and stated that Musk still had a lot of work to do. Twitter must implement transparent policies, significantly strengthen content moderation and protect freedoms of speech, combat disinformation with resolve and limit targeted advertising.

Breton also asked Musk to follow the EU’s digital requirements for advertising. This includes a ban on targeting children and users based upon sensitive information.

According to the readout, the two agreed that the EU would conduct a “stress test at Twitter’s headquarters in the early part of next year to evaluate the company’s compliance.

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What’s Musk done since he took over Twitter?

Musk hasn’t yet commented publicly on the report but he previously stated that Twitter would follow all applicable laws.

The 51-year old completed his $44bn (PS38bn), Twitter takeover in October. Since then, he has made controversial decisions about the site’s running.

After dismissing approximately half of the company’s 8,000 employees including 15% of its trust and safety department, the Tesla billionaire became the talk of the town.

After conducting a Twitter poll asking people if they would like to see Trump return, he also reinstated previously blocked accounts on the platform, including that one.

Kanye West was also reactivated after he made antisemitic comments and was banned from the site.

Musk declared last week that he would grant “amnesty” to suspended Twitter accounts. Experts predicted a rise of harassment, hate speech and misinformation.