France Condemned US Visa Ban on Former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton. France condemned a visa ban imposed by the Trump administration on Thierry Breton, a former European Union commissioner involved in shaping EU digital regulation. The US imposed visa restrictions on Breton and several other European anti-disinformation figures, accusing them of censoring American social media platforms. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France strongly opposed the move, calling it unjustified and targeting European sovereignty. Breton, who served as EU commissioner for the internal market from 2019 to 2024, was the most high-profile figure affected by the ban. His successor, Stephane Sejourne, criticized the US decision and defended the EU’s Digital Services Act as a democratically adopted law. US officials described Breton as a key architect of the Digital Services Act, legislation that has been used to regulate large tech platforms including X. France reiterated that the Digital Services Act had no extraterritorial reach and did not interfere with US law or free speech protections. Breton himself denounced the visa ban, comparing it to a political witch hunt and rejecting claims that EU digital regulation amounted to censorship.