BRUSSELS — Right-wing lawmakers told former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton that he deserved to be sanctioned by the United States during a fiery hearing in the European Parliament on Wednesday. Breton spoke to the Parliament’s internal market committee alongside three civil society representatives who were in December banned from traveling to the U.S. because of their work on the EU’s digital laws. Most of the lawmakers expressed warm support from Breton, who worked with them on passing the EU’s Digital Services Act that the Donald Trump administration is going after. Yet there was notable dissent from lawmakers on the right and far-right as the debate split along political lines. Polish right-wing lawmaker Piotr Müller told the hearing that Breton’s actions during his time in office were reminiscent of Soviet-style censorship. Lawmakers on the left meanwhile suggested the EU Commission should suspend access for American government representatives to its premises, a move that would severely restrict contacts with Washington. Wednesday’s hearing comes amid an ongoing fight between Washington and Brussels over the EU’s digital rules. The White House and its allies claim the DSA is a censorship regime that also affects U.S. citizens and restricts free speech. The Commission says it censors neither Europeans nor Americans, and argues instead that the EU protects all users online and promotes free expression by blocking illegal and harmful content and misinformation. Referring to a letter Breton sent X owner Elon Musk in 2024, Müller said that Breton’s decision to threaten Musk over a planned live interview with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was “a clear case in point when political instruments are used to actually hamper the freedom of speech.” Müller, who represents the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, said ahead of the hearing that the letter amounted to “a blatant attempt to interfere” in the U.S. elections. “Actions have consequences and this episode inevitably shaped perceptions in Washington,” he told POLITICO. While Breton said at the time that the interview could include misinformation that would spread in the EU, and that the Commission could block X as a result, some within the Commission said he was overreaching to gain attention. Breton resigned a few weeks later, after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asked for his candidacy for another term to be withdrawn. Multiple lawmakers stood by the French former commissioner at Wednesday’s hearing and called on the Commission to show stronger support. French member of The Left, Leila Chaibi, asked the EU executive to suspend access badges of members of the U.S. mission to the EU and the American Chamber of Commerce. Other MEPs said the attack on Breton was an attack on the whole institution. French liberal MEP Sandro Gozi noted the Trump administration could have banned as many as 565 officials from entering the U.S., based on the number of MEPs that voted for the DSA and the number of EU commissioners in office. “We are all guilty. I plead guilty here to have defended our values, our democracy, by approving our digital legislation,” Gozi said. Breton, addressing lawmakers via video link, said he wasn’t the “mastermind” behind the EU’s digital laws but part of a “tremendous team” that was working “together to protect our fellow citizens.” Breton told POLITICO in an interview last month that the travel ban was “unjustified” and reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of how Europe regulates free speech. The Commission said it was standing by Breton. “The Commission has adopted a decision granting [Breton] financial assistance to seek legal advice and assistance to challenge the decision taken by the U.S. administration,” spokesperson Ricardo Cardoso said in an emailed statement.

BRUSSELS — The European Commission will ask Meta to halt new terms that prevent rival artificial intelligence chatbots from using WhatsApp, acting on concerns that the U.S. company is breaching the bloc’s antitrust rules.  The EU executive said it sent Meta a chargesheet setting out its concerns on the U.S. tech company’s behavior. Brussels’ preliminary view is that Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding third party AI assistants from accessing and interacting with users on WhatsApp. Speaking to Bloomberg TV after the announcement, competition chief Teresa Ribera stressed that the EU’s decision is not a political one nor is it motivated by a focus on U.S. companies.  “My sense is that this is not connected to politics, but connected to well-functioning markets and the protection of consumers,” she said, adding that companies abusing their market power is bad news in every geography.” It is not good news in Europe. It is not good news in the United States.” The commissioner said in a statement issued earlier that it was crucial to protect innovation in artificial intelligence, which is a rapidly evolving space. “That is why we are considering quickly imposing interim measures on Meta, to preserve access for competitors to WhatsApp while the investigation is ongoing, and avoid Meta’s new policy irreparably harming competition in Europe,” she said. The Donald Trump administration has repeatedly criticized the EU for targeting U.S companies with its antitrust rules, particularly on digital platforms, and has pushed the EU to soften its stance amid a tense trade relationship. The Commission late last year launched an investigation into the “WhatsApp Business Solution” — a tool for businesses to communicate with customers — following a similar probe by the Italian antitrust authority. Italy ordered Meta to stop its practices in December, but the measure only applied within national borders. Expectations had been building up for the Commission to follow suit. The investigation focuses on a recently introduced policy by Meta that prohibits AI providers from using the WhatsApp Business Solution when AI is the primary service offered. “The Commission intends to impose interim measures to prevent this policy change from causing serious and irreparable harm on the market, subject to Meta’s reply and rights of Defence,” the statement said. Meta criticized the Commission’s reasoning, which was instead welcomed by rival chatbot providers. “The facts are that there is no reason for the EU to intervene in the WhatsApp Business API,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement, adding that there are multiple AI options available to consumers. “The Commission’s logic incorrectly assumes the WhatsApp Business API is a key distribution channel for these chatbots.” Marvin von Hagen, chief executive of Interaction, which provides one of the rival chatbots, praised the Commission’s decision.  “The Commission’s intervention can help provide necessary protection for companies pushing the boundaries of AI technology, ensuring that merit, not market dominance, determines success and that consumers can benefit from real choice and innovative services,” he said in a statement. This story has been updated.