A former commissioner, who was subject to US sanctions, asked the European Commission for help.

The European Commission will support former EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton in his legal challenge to US visa sanctions , Euractiv reports, citing five EU officials .

The publication's source said the decision was announced last week at a meeting of the College of European Commissioners, several weeks after Washington imposed visa bans on Breton and four other European officials.

The EC subsequently said it had requested clarification from the US authorities and stressed that it would respond "quickly and decisively" to what it called "unjustified measures."

According to a source familiar with Breton's line of defense, the former commissioner initially expected the EC to contact him and propose further steps, but this did not happen.

Ultimately, Breton had to formally request legal assistance himself, two EC officials confirmed. According to the official regulations, Brussels is obligated to provide officials and their family members with protection from legal prosecution and threats arising from the performance of their official duties, even after they leave the institution.

"The cases Breton faces are the result of his activities as Commissioner and the policies he pursued," a Commission official said, adding that EU support would include covering Breton's legal costs.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) aims to strengthen oversight of major online platforms within the EU; services that refuse to combat illegal and harmful content risk fines of up to 6% of their global turnover or even being blocked within the Union.

American conservatives have consistently criticized the DSA as a censorship tool, primarily targeting American online platforms, seeing it as a threat to free speech. These allegations were, among other things, contained in a report prepared by the US House Judiciary Committee in July of this year. According to the congressmen, conservative views on migration and the climate agenda are primarily targeted by these "European censors."

As an EU Commissioner, Breton was the lead implementer of the Digital Services Act, which regulates content moderation on social media platforms.

On December 24, 2025, the United States decided to ban entry to a number of "leading figures in the global censorship-industrial complex" as part of a crackdown on restrictions on American platforms.

The restrictions affected former European Commissioner and French Minister of Industry, Economy and Finance (2005–2007) Thierry Breton, head of the British NGO Centre for Countering Digital Hate Imran Ahmed, head of the British Global Disinformation Index Claire Melford, founder of the German HateAid Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and co-director of this organization Josephine Ballon.

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