U.S. visa sanctions against Thierry Breton and other European figures

On Wednesday, Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection will hold a debate on recently-imposed visa sanctions and their implications for EU digital sovereignty.

Former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton will make a statement to MEPs from the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO), after which EU advocates for user rights Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, Josephine Ballon (remotely) and Clare Melford, will discuss the recent sanctions imposed on them by the United States. The Committee will debate these measures and their wider implications for the enforcement of EU’s digital rulebook and Europe’s regulatory autonomy.

EP leaders condemned these sanctions, saying they are “an unacceptable personalisation of EU policy, a dangerous precedent for the independence of the European institutions and an attack on the EU’s regulatory sovereignty”. MEPs also called on the Commission and member states to respond firmly to these attacks, recalling that “enforcement of the EU’s digital legislation aims to ensure compliance with EU law and the protection of fundamental rights, and not to regulate political opinions”.

The debate, which starts at 16.00 on Wednesday, 25 February, will be streamed. Further information will be available on the committee website and the meeting agenda.

Thierry Breton will connect remotely.

Background

On 23 December 2025, the US State Department announced entry bans for several European figures, including former EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, Managing Directors of HateAid, Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, and Clare Melford, CEO of the Global Disinformation Index. The individuals targeted had previously advocated for a safer digital environment, holding digital platforms accountable, and the implementation of EU’s digital laws.