Recent evidence suggests that the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is involved in several aspects of plant immunity and a range of plant pathogens subvert the UPS to enhance their virulence. Here we show that proteasome activity is strongly induced during basal defense in Arabidopsis. Mutant lines of the proteasome subunits RPT2a and RPN12a support increased bacterial growth of virulent Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola ES4326. Both proteasome subunits are required for Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) responses. Analysis of bacterial growth after a secondary infection of systemic leaves revealed that the establishment of systemic-acquired resistance (SAR) is impaired in proteasome mutants, suggesting that the proteasome also plays an important role in defense priming and SAR. In addition, we show that Pst inhibits proteasome activity in a type-III secretion dependent manner. A screen for type-III effector proteins from Pst for their ability to interfere with proteasome activity revealed HopM1, HopAO1, HopA1 and HopG1 as putative proteasome inhibitors. Biochemical characterization of HopM1 by mass-spectrometry indicates that HopM1 interacts with several E3 ubiquitin ligases and proteasome subunits. This supports the hypothesis that HopM1 associates with the proteasome leading to its inhibition. Thus, the proteasome is an essential component of PTI and SAR, which is targeted by multiple bacterial effectors.