By Melike Pala
BRUSSELS (AA) - US-sanctioned former European Commissioner Thierry Breton said Wednesday that measures imposed by Washington over the EU's landmark tech regulation are political in nature rather than legal, urging top-level dialogue to resolve the dispute.
Speaking at the European Parliament's Internal Market Committee in Brussels, Breton said the sanctions against him and other European citizens reflect a "misunderstanding" that should be addressed through political engagement between leaders.
"It's not a question of a legal story. It's a question of political attitude," he told lawmakers, adding that discussions at the highest level are needed to correct the situation.
He said reversing the measures is important not only for those directly targeted but also to reaffirm the independence of EU institutions.
Breton was sanctioned by the US administration in December 2025, barring him from entering the country and from using American technology and payment services.
The measures also targeted other European nationals, including Nicolas Guillou, a French judge at the International Criminal Court, as well as NGO representatives working on monitoring online disinformation and hate speech.
When announcing the sanctions, the US State Department accused those affected of promoting "censorship crackdowns" targeting American speakers and companies.
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron asked US President Donald Trump to lift what he described as "unjustly imposed sanctions" on several European citizens, including Breton.
Breton, a key architect of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), rejected claims that the regulation undermines freedom of expression, noting that it was adopted by nearly 90% of the European Parliament.
"I didn't take this personally, because, as you know, the work we have done together ... My mission was to propose some act, and you made the law," he said, congratulating lawmakers for what he described as a democratic process aimed at protecting European citizens, democracy and children online.
He stressed that while Europe does not have the US First Amendment, it has its own legal framework governing freedom of speech.
"The First Amendment, we understand why it is so important in the US, but the First Amendment applies in the US, and we fully respect that, but it doesn't apply in Europe," Breton said.
"If someone is willing to use a platform which is regulated in Europe, of course, then everyone has to understand that you just have to follow the rules in Europe, as long as it is used and received in Europe, not more, not less," he added.