Macron considered US sanctions against the former European Commissioner to be intimidation of the EU.

The US imposed sanctions against one of the authors of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates social media. Washington criticized the law . Emmanuel Macron stated that the DSA guarantees "fair competition" online.

The US decision to ban entry to former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton and several other Europeans constitutes a measure of intimidation and coercion against European digital sovereignty, French President Emmanuel Macron stated on his social media page X.

He condemned US sanctions and said that the EU's digital regulations, which Washington criticizes, were "adopted through a democratic and sovereign process" by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU and guarantee "fair competition between platforms." The French Foreign Ministry had also previously condemned US sanctions and noted that the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) is not extraterritorial in nature and "in no way concerns" the United States.

The EU Digital Services Act (DSA) came into force in 2022, and Thierry Breton, who served as European Commissioner for the Internal Market from 2019 to 2024, is its co-author. According to the law, social media operators are required to moderate content that could "have a negative impact on public space and public safety." Failure to do so will result in a fine of up to 6% of revenue or blocking of the service within the EU.

In 2024 , Breton threatened Elon Musk, the owner of the social network X, with "full application" of sanctions within the law for disinformation on the platform. The businessman himself has repeatedly criticized the EU authorities and called for the dissolution of the European Commission, which, in his view, is based on bureaucracy rather than democracy.

On December 23, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a travel ban on several "leading figures in the global censorship-industrial complex" as part of his fight against restrictions on US platforms. In addition to Breton, this measure also affected Imran Ahmed, head of the UK-based NGO Countering Digital Hate; Claire Melford, head of the UK-based Global Disinformation Index; Anne-Lena von Hodenberg, founder of the German organization HateAid; and Josephine Ballon, co-director of the organization.

In early December, the European Commission found social network X €120 million. The fines stemmed from paid blue checkmarks, which the commission said misled users about the authenticity of accounts, and from non-compliance with advertising transparency requirements.US President Donald Trump criticized the fine and said "Europe must be very careful."

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