As the Trump administration works to secure a trade agreement with the European Union ahead of the July 9th tariff deadline, the stakes for American technology leadership have never been clearer. However, the EU’s hardline stance against addressing their discriminatory digital regulations—exemplified by Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera’s flat rejection of including Digital Markets Act reforms in trade talks—raises serious concerns about whether the final deal will adequately protect U.S. companies from continued European discrimination.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for American tech leadership. The EU’s systematic targeting of U.S. firms through the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act isn’t just about billion-dollar fines—it’s about crippling American companies’ ability to invest in cutting-edge technologies, build new digital infrastructure and grow our leadership in artificial intelligence. When Brussels forces our companies to divert resources from innovation to compliance with discriminatory regulations, they’re not just hurting individual firms—they’re undermining America’s competitive edge in the technologies that will define the 21st century.
The EU’s strategy is transparent: treating American companies like piggy banks while handicapping their ability to compete, all while protecting European firms that can’t match our innovators. Whether Brussels calls it consumer protection or market regulation, the DMA and DSA function as trade barriers by design– restricting American companies’ operations, forcing costly compliance burdens and titling the competitive playing field toward European rivals who fall below the thresholds. Commissioner Ribera’s dismissive “of course not” when asked about DMA reforms reveals Brussels’ true priority—maintaining their regulatory weapon against U.S. businesses while demanding continued access to our markets. This represents exactly the kind of one-sided arrangement that has allowed Europe to free-ride on American innovation for decades.
Any deal that leaves the DMA and DSA untouched simply gives the EU explicit permission to continue extorting American firms while accessing our markets. The administration should stand firm: meaningful reform of EU digital protectionism must be part of any trade agreement. The EU needs American markets far more than we need their discriminatory regulations.