You reap what you sow, right wing tells US-sanctioned commissioner

BRUSSELS — Right-wing lawmakers told former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton that he deserved to be sanctioned by the United States during a fiery hearing in the European Parliament on Wednesday.

Breton spoke to the Parliament’s internal market committee alongside three civil society representatives who were in December banned from traveling to the U.S. because of their work on the EU’s digital laws.

Most of the lawmakers expressed warm support from Breton, who worked with them on passing the EU’s Digital Services Act that the Donald Trump administration is going after.

Yet there was notable dissent from lawmakers on the right and far-right as the debate split along political lines. Polish right-wing lawmaker Piotr Müller told the hearing that Breton’s actions during his time in office were reminiscent of Soviet-style censorship.

Lawmakers on the left meanwhile suggested the EU Commission should suspend access for American government representatives to its premises, a move that would severely restrict contacts with Washington.

Wednesday’s hearing comes amid an ongoing fight between Washington and Brussels over the EU’s digital rules. The White House and its allies claim the DSA is a censorship regime that also affects U.S. citizens and restricts free speech. The Commission says it censors neither Europeans nor Americans, and argues instead that the EU protects all users online and promotes free expression by blocking illegal and harmful content and misinformation.

Referring to a letter Breton sent X owner Elon Musk in 2024, Müller said that Breton’s decision to threaten Musk over a planned live interview with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was “a clear case in point when political instruments are used to actually hamper the freedom of speech.”

Müller, who represents the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, said ahead of the hearing that the letter amounted to “a blatant attempt to interfere” in the U.S. elections. “Actions have consequences and this episode inevitably shaped perceptions in Washington,” he told POLITICO.

While Breton said at the time that the interview could include misinformation that would spread in the EU, and that the Commission could block X as a result, some within the Commission said he was overreaching to gain attention. Breton resigned a few weeks later, after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asked for his candidacy for another term to be withdrawn.

Multiple lawmakers stood by the French former commissioner at Wednesday’s hearing and called on the Commission to show stronger support.

French member of The Left, Leila Chaibi, asked the EU executive to suspend access badges of members of the U.S. mission to the EU and the American Chamber of Commerce.

Other MEPs said the attack on Breton was an attack on the whole institution. French liberal MEP Sandro Gozi noted the Trump administration could have banned as many as 565 officials from entering the U.S., based on the number of MEPs that voted for the DSA and the number of EU commissioners in office.

Leila Chaibi asked the EU executive to suspend access badges of members of the U.S. mission to the EU and the American Chamber of Commerce. | Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

“We are all guilty. I plead guilty here to have defended our values, our democracy, by approving our digital legislation,” Gozi said.

Breton, addressing lawmakers via video link, said he wasn’t the “mastermind” behind the EU’s digital laws but part of a “tremendous team” that was working “together to protect our fellow citizens.”

Breton told POLITICO in an interview last month that the travel ban was “unjustified” and reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of how Europe regulates free speech.

The Commission said it was standing by Breton.

“The Commission has adopted a decision granting [Breton] financial assistance to seek legal advice and assistance to challenge the decision taken by the U.S. administration,” spokesperson Ricardo Cardoso said in an emailed statement.