Published on: Dec 29, 2025 02:40 am IST
Thierry Breton, who was sanctioned by Trump administration also criticized US visa ban, and stressed on the need for EU legislative independence.
Thierry Breton, the former European Union official who was sanctioned last week by the Trump administration, said the bloc must resist US attempts to influence its legislation aimed at regulating social media platforms.
Speaking in his first TV interview since the US imposed a travel ban on him, Breton, the EU’s former digital chief, said the lack of a strong response shows the institutions in Brussels have been “very weak, too weak” at a time when the bloc is surrounded by “predators,” he told French TV broadcaster TF1 Sunday evening.
As an EU commissioner, Breton was the chief enforcer of the Digital Services Act, which regulates content moderation on social media platforms.
Earlier this week, the US administration imposed visa bans on Breton, as well as several activists, decrying their attempts to fight online hate speech as censorship aimed at American tech companies. In his former EU role, Breton often tangled with Elon Musk’s X and Meta Platforms Inc.
Breton said he received widespread political backing following the US visa ban announcement. “They cannot force us to change laws that we voted for democratically just to please” US social media platforms, Breton said. “No, we must stand up.”
Breton said he’s been banned from going to the US because he presented legislation that was backed by nearly 90% of EU lawmakers, as well as all the member states, to protect users in Europe, including children and teenagers.
Breton, who left the European Commission in September 2024, said he was surprised when he found out about the US visa ban.
