BRUSSELS, December 24. /TASS/. Belgium was stunned to find out that the United States had imposed sanctions on a group of EU citizens headlined by former European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, considering this act unacceptable, said Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot.

Belgium is shocked that five European citizens, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, have been subject to travel restrictions to the United States due to their participation in the development of the EU Law on Digital Services, he wrote on X.

Sanctioning individuals based on economic frustration in the United States is unacceptable, he believes. Prevot said that EU digital legislation is not directed against the United States, but serves to ensure that EU citizens have the same security and dignity in the digital space that they enjoy in their public lives in Europe. The minister promised that the European Union would defend its sovereign right to defend its values.

Earlier, chief of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas accused the United States of trying to undermine European sovereignty.

 

US Visa Restrictions

 

The United States imposed visa restrictions on Breton and some other officials who Washington alleges are involved in censoring Americans on Tuesday. The former European commissioner, for instance, was called the ideological mastermind of the EU Law on digital services, which significantly strengthened control over a number of Internet platforms in the European Union.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States had banned entry to the country of the key players in this global censorship effort. He said that ideologues in Europe are trying to force American platforms to punish US citizens for expressing certain points of view. Rubio also said that Washington would be ready to expand this sanctions list if necessary.

 

The Law on Digital Services

 

The EU Digital Services Act was adopted in 2022, and its main provisions entered into force in 2023. It became the first document in world history to assign legal responsibility to social networks, instant messengers and other Internet platforms for the content published on their sites. On this basis, the European Commission has legally obliged operators of such platforms, including all leading American Internet companies, to identify and remove prohibited content from their algorithms under the threat of heavy fines and blocking in the EU.

As European Internal Market Commissioner, Breton oversaw the development of the EU Digital Services Act and spearheaded the militarization of EU industry and the launch of new military production facilities in Europe.