Electronics Weekly
The EC says it is merely enforcing the terms of the 2022 Digital Markets Act.
However many will see it as the EC throwing down the gauntlet to the new US administration which has threatened to impose tariffs on countries which impose fines on US digital services companies which the US describes as taxes.
According to a memo released last month, President Trump said he would look into taxes and regulations or policies that “inhibit the growth” of US corporations operating abroad.
The big US tech companies are seen as being close to the new US administration, and the US commitment to Europe via NATO is currently uncertain, both of which made EC trade policy a delicate calculation.
While yesterday’s charges do not come with any penalty, they are a step towards imposing penalties, and suggest that the EC is up for a trade dispute with the US.
