PARIS – Former European Commissioner Thierry Breton has called on the European Union to respond with „utmost severity“ to the US administration's decision to impose sanctions on him and four other European citizens for their activities in the field of online content regulation. According to Politico, the case immediately sparked sharp reactions in Brussels and several European capitals.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week that Breton will be „generally barred from entering the United States“. The same punishment applies to British citizens Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford, and German citizens Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, who worked for organisations focused on combating hate speech on the internet. According to the US State Department, these people „systematically threatened freedom of expression“Politico reports.
Washington also described Breton as „chief architect of the Digital Services Act“(Digital Services Act, DSA), a key European regulation of online platforms. It was on this basis that Elon Musk's social network X was fined €120 million. This move has long been a major source of tension between Brussels and Washington, according to Politico and the Financial Times.
„If we accept that, as a European Commissioner, you can be ostracised, accused and punished for fulfilling the mandate entrusted to you, then we are setting ourselves on an extremely dangerous path.“ Breton said on Tuesday in an interview with RTL radio station. „If we allow this situation to continue, it would mean that my successors would be intimidated and effectively prevented from carrying out their European mandate.“
Breton also emphasised that the EU's response must be unified and firm. „The European Commission must not show any weakness... European institutions must respond with the utmost determination.“ he said, according to RTL.
According to Politico, Breton held lengthy talks with French President Emmanuel Macron after the sanctions were announced. Macron has so far been cautious in his public comments on the matter, but behind the scenes he is pushing for a coordinated European response. Paris fears that the US move could set a precedent whereby European leaders would be sanctioned for enforcing EU law.
The former top manager in the technology industry resigned last year from his position as European Commissioner for the Internal Market after accusing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of trying to force him out of office. However, according to Politico and other media outlets, the American decision has earned him significant support across Europe, including from some MEPs and several national governments.
The European Commission stated in an official statement that it had requested „additional explanations“ from the US authorities and that it would „respond quickly and decisively if necessary“. According to diplomatic sources in Brussels cited by Politico, both diplomatic and legal measures are now being considered to make it clear that the EU considers such interference in the work of its institutions unacceptable.
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