The European Commission responded on Tuesday to President Donald Trump's threat to impose new tariffs on countries with "discriminatory" digital policies, saying it is the EU's prerogative to make and enforce its own tech rules.
"It is the sovereign right of the EU and its member states to regulate economic activities on our territory, which are consistent with our democratic values," European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said at an afternoon briefing, according to Politico.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump threatened to "impose substantial additional Tariffs," as well as put export restrictions on U.S. technology and chips in retaliation for digital policies that he says penalize American tech firms.
"As the President of the United States, I will stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies," Trump wrote on Monday. "Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology. They also, outrageously, give a complete pass to China's largest Tech Companies. This must end, and end NOW!
"With this TRUTH, I put all Countries with Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations, on notice that unless these discriminatory actions are removed, I, as President of the United States, will impose substantial additional Tariffs on that Country's Exports to the U.S.A., and institute Export restrictions on our Highly Protected Technology and Chips," the president continued. "America, and American Technology Companies, are neither the 'piggy bank' nor the 'doormat' of the World any longer. Show respect to America and our amazing Tech Companies or, consider the consequences!"
The Trump administration, its allies in Congress, and the tech sector have frequently targeted the EU's Digital Services Act – which regulates major online platforms, search engines and e-commerce – arguing that the social media legislation enables censorship and would cost U.S. companies.
According to the legislation, companies with more than 45 million users in the EU, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, must evaluate and take steps to mitigate misinformation and harm to children.
Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Politico that the EU's rules are neutral and not designed to "attack" American tech companies, despite Trump's claim.
"The DSA does not look at the color of a company, at the jurisdiction of a company, nor the owner of a company," he said. "The DSA and the DMA both apply to all platforms and companies operating in the EU irrespective of their place of establishment. ... The last three enforcement decisions that we took were against AliExpress, Temu and against TikTok."
Along with the DSA, the Digital Markets Act is a foundational piece of the bloc's digital policy. The DSA establishes obligations for online platforms concerning issues like child safety and misinformation, while the act requires that online gatekeepers like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok allow new players to enter the market and compete.
Regnier said that the disagreement between the EU and the U.S. concerns only "very tiny aspects" of the legislation.
"We share views with our U.S. counterparts on a lot of these issues," he said. "When we talk about the DSA, it's protection of kids online, the protection of election integrity online. We have a lot of points where we are actually working hand in hand with the U.S."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.