EU Disturbed by US Sanctions Against Former European Commissioner Over Digital Services Act

The European Commission has condemned the US decision to impose personal sanctions on former Commissioner Thierry Breton for his role in drafting the Digital Services Act, as well as on four other Europeans fighting online disinformation.

“The European Commission unequivocally condemns the US decision to impose travel restrictions on five European citizens, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right in Europe and a shared value with the United States across the democratic world,” the statement reads.

“Our digital regulations ensure safe, fair, and equal conditions for all companies, applied objectively and without discrimination. We have requested clarifications from the US authorities and continue to cooperate with them. We will respond quickly and decisively if necessary to protect our regulatory autonomy from unjustified measures,” Brussels emphasized.

As the internal market commissioner from 2019 to 2024, Breton authored the DSA, which requires companies such as Meta, Google, X, and Amazon to better manage online content and combat the spread of misinformation and hate speech. Washington considers this regulation an attack on free speech.

The US ban also pertains to representatives from NGOs in the UK and Germany working against online disinformation and hate speech. According to Washington, they are involved in attempts to censor Americans.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that “European ideologues” are trying to “force American platforms to punish” US citizens for expressing certain viewpoints. The Secretary also mentioned that the US is prepared to expand the list of sanctions if other individuals do not change their course.