The EU with Trump's threats regarding digital law: this is our sovereign law

Regulating economic activity is a sovereign Law of the EU and its Member States – the spokeswoman of the European Commission Paul Pinho emphasized on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump threatened to impose duties in retaliation for digital regulations, which in his opinion hit American platforms.

On Monday, Trump threatened duties and limiting access to advanced American technologies to countries that use digital taxes or regulations. On the Truth Social platform, he wrote that the United States is no longer a “piggy bank” or a “wiper” for the rest of the world.

Trump's statement aroused concerns about returning to the trade war, which was to be completed by the agreement regarding customs duties concluded with the American president by the head of the EC Ursula von der Leyen. It assumes the maximum limit of customs duties for EU exporters for most goods in the amount of 15 percent.

Referring to these threats, Pinho reminded that the EU regulations of the digital market were not part of trade talks with the United States. – We have repeatedly repeated that this is a sovereign Law of the EU and its Member States to regulate economic activity on its own territory, in accordance with our democratic values. That is also why it was not part of our recent agreement with the US – she emphasized.

Two key acts regulating the activities of large digital platforms in the EU are the act with digital services (DSA) and act with digital markets (DMA). DSA imposes on large digital platforms and search engines requirements, including in terms of moderation of content and the use of algorithms. In turn, the goal of DMA is to limit the dominant position of the largest platforms on the market and ensure competitiveness.

The EC spokesperson responsible for digital technologies Thomas Regnier emphasized that EU law is not aimed at American Big Techy. – DSA does not take into account the color of the company, its jurisdiction or owner. DSA and DMA apply to all platforms and companies operating in the EU, regardless of their seat – he said. He reminded that the last three EC decisions made by DSA concerned AliExpress, Temu and Tiktok, and therefore Chinese platforms.

This is another edition of the Trump's administration struggle with EU regulations regarding the digital market. The Reuters agency reached the document of August 4, in which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered American diplomats in Europe to initiate a large -scale diplomatic campaign against DSA.

In July, the Judiciary Commission in the House of Representatives of the US Congress published a report in which it accused DSA of limiting freedom of speech and censorship. The EC rejected these allegations by indicating that most of the content removes the platforms themselves in accordance with their own conditions of using services.

From Brussels Magdalena Cedro (PAP)

MCE/ AP/