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EU Rejects Trump’s Claims of Bias in Digital Services Rules

By  |  August 26, 2025

The European Commission on Tuesday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that new EU digital regulations unfairly discriminate against American technology firms, stressing that the rules are designed to apply broadly to all companies operating in the bloc.

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    According to Reuters, Trump had warned a day earlier that he would impose further tariffs on nations with digital services regulations, taxes, or laws that he said were “all designed to harm or discriminate against American technology.” His remarks came despite a recent U.S.-EU agreement that capped most American tariffs on European goods at 15%, a deal that made little reference to digital services.

    The Trump administration has long criticized the EU’s flagship digital legislation, notably the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to rein in the dominance of large technology companies, and the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires online platforms to take stronger measures against illegal and harmful content. Per Reuters, Washington has argued that these initiatives are particularly damaging to U.S. businesses.

    Read more: Tech Companies On Board With White House Plan to Ease Healthcare Record Keeping

    In its response, the European Commission emphasized that regulating economic activity within the European Union is a sovereign right of the bloc and its member states. Officials rejected Trump’s assertion that the new rules singled out U.S. firms, stating that both the DMA and DSA apply uniformly to all digital platforms.

    A Commission spokesperson highlighted recent enforcement actions under the DSA, noting that the last three decisions targeted Chinese-owned platforms AliExpress, Temu, and TikTok. At the same time, investigations have also been launched into Meta and X, formerly Twitter, underscoring that the scrutiny extends beyond any single country’s companies.

    By firmly defending its digital policy framework, Brussels signaled it intends to maintain its course on regulating online platforms, even as trade tensions with Washington threaten to resurface.

    Source: Reuters