The European Union has its regulations for technology companies Threats from the USA reaffirmed. “As we have made clear on several occasions, our regulations apply equally and fairly to all companies operating in the EU,” said European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier. These will “continue to be enforced fairly and without discrimination,” he said.
The US government had previously described European rules for companies as “discriminatory and harassing” and threatened retaliation. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office named key European companies that could be targeted. These included the German shipping service DHL, the German industrial group Siemens and the Swedish streaming service Spotify.
“Should countermeasures be necessary, U.S. law allows, among other things, the charging of fees or the imposition of restrictions on foreign service providers,” the U.S. government said. Similar action will also be taken against countries that pursue an “EU-like strategy in this area”.
Merz rejects the US criticism
The US government under President Donald Trump has been criticizing the EU regulations for digital services and the EU Commission’s fines against US service providers for months. The most recent example is the fine of 120 million Euro, which the EU at the beginning of December against the US online service X. She justified this with a lack of transparency in advertising and user accounts on the platform.
The owner of X, billionaire Elon Musk, then spoke out in favor of the Abolition of the EU out of. US President Trump described the punishment as “horrific” and said the EU must be “very careful”. However, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) rejected the criticism. Just like European companies in the USA If the laws there have to be followed, American companies also have to accept the rules in Europe, said Merz.
In recent years, the EU has imposed billions of euros in fines against large US digital companies for failing to comply with European legislation. The US has repeatedly called on the EU to ease guidelines for the digital sector, raising the possibility of lowering tariffs on European steel and aluminum.
