The European Parliament has condemned a US visa ban on former European Commissioner Thierry Breton and linked it to his role in developing and implementing the EU’s Digital Services Act.
The US decision was “solely motivated” by Breton’s work on the Digital Services Act, an EU law adopted to regulate online platforms and protect users online, the Parliament's Conference of Presidents said in a statement on Thursday.
The MEPs described the visa ban as an “unacceptable personalisation of EU policy”, a “dangerous precedent” for the independence of EU institutions and “an attack on the EU’s regulatory sovereignty."
The statement cited Articles 340 and 343 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, along with Protocol No 7, saying acts carried out by European Commission members in the course of their duties fall under the responsibility of the Union and are covered by “functional protection."
Commission support and call for coordinated response
The Parliament welcomed a European Commission decision to grant legal and financial assistance to Breton, and said it expected the Commission to ensure the protection set out in the EU treaties.
It also said the Commission should make “all necessary diplomatic and political efforts” towards US authorities to secure the lifting of the visa ban.
The Parliament said EU institutions should respond in a “systematic and coordinated” way if similar measures are taken against current or former EU officials in future.
