EU Antitrust Chief Defends Fines Against Tech Giants Amid Trump Criticism

The European Union’s top competition official has pushed back against criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump over hefty antitrust fines levied against American technology firms. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Teresa Ribera, executive vice president of the European Commission and the bloc’s leading competition authority, emphasized that the fines are a matter of law, not an attack on any particular nationality.

“This is not a tax. This is not something against any nationality. This is the law,” Ribera stated in an interview, reinforcing that EU regulators are obligated to uphold the rule of law and ensure consumer protection against anticompetitive behavior.

Her remarks come shortly after Trump denounced the EU’s antitrust actions, arguing during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the bloc unfairly penalizes U.S. companies. Per Wall Street Journal, Trump contended that the EU was using antitrust fines as “a form of taxation” and claimed that American businesses, including Google, Meta, and Apple, had been targeted for billions in penalties.

Related: EU’s Digital Regulations Under Fire from US Leaders and Big Tech Giants

Over the past decade, Alphabet’s Google has faced fines totaling approximately €8.25 billion from the EU, while Meta was recently hit with a €797.7 million penalty for allegedly leveraging its dominance in social networking to unfairly promote its Marketplace platform over competitors like eBay. Meta is currently contesting the fine in court. Additionally, Trump cited a ruling against Apple last year that left the company responsible for a €13 billion tax bill in Ireland.

As the EU moves forward with stricter regulations on the technology sector, transatlantic tensions could escalate further. Wall Street Journal notes that Ribera dismissed concerns from some EU lawmakers and businesses that the Commission might weaken enforcement of the recently enacted Digital Markets Act. She affirmed that decisions are not influenced by political changes in other countries and stressed that U.S. authorities are also pursuing cases against major tech firms.

“No matter what is your nationality, American consumers may be also expecting to count on protection in this new economic sector” from antitrust regulators, Ribera said, per Wall Street Journal. She underscored the importance of continued discussions between the EU and U.S. on regulatory matters, aiming to find ways to collaborate in overseeing the digital economy.

Source: Wall Street Journal