The Trump administration has issued an ultimatum to the European Union regarding its regulation of U.S. technology companies, threatening to deploy “every tool at its disposal” to retaliate against what it describes as unfair targeting of Silicon Valley giants, which could mean imposing fees on European services that operate in American markets like Spotify and DHL.
In a statement posted to social media on Tuesday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) accused European regulators of pursuing a “persistent course of discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines, and directives against U.S. service providers.” The Trump administration says if these practices continue, the U.S. is prepared to impose fees and restrictions on European companies operating in the American market.
“If the EU and EU Member States insist on continuing to restrict, limit, and deter the competitiveness of U.S. service providers through discriminatory means, the United States will have no choice but to begin using every tool at its disposal to counter these unreasonable measures,” the USTR said.
Potential targets for retaliation
The Trump administration’s warning went beyond vague threats, explicitly naming several major European corporations that could face retaliatory measures. The list includes logistics giant DHL, consulting firm Accenture, industrial manufacturer Siemens, software company SAP, music streaming service Spotify, and artificial intelligence startup Mistral AI.
In the statement posted to social media, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer argued these European companies have long benefited from open access to the American economy, a privilege he suggests is not being reciprocated. “EU service providers have been able to operate freely in the United States for decades, benefiting from access to our market and consumers on a level playing field,” Greer wrote.
The USTR emphasized the economic contribution of American firms abroad, noting that U.S. tech companies “provide substantial free services to EU citizens and reliable enterprise services to EU companies” while supporting “millions of jobs and more than $100 billion in direct investment in Europe.”
The core dispute: DMA and DSA
At the heart of the conflict are the European Union’s landmark regulatory frameworks: the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA). These laws were designed to curb the dominance of “gatekeeper” platforms and ensure online safety, but American officials view them as tools of economic protectionism aimed specifically at U.S. success stories.
Enforcement of these rules has led to significant financial penalties for American corporations. Earlier this year, Apple was fined €500 million, while Meta faced a €200 million penalty. In December, Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) was fined €120 million for violations of the DSA, following a massive €2.95 billion antitrust fine levied against Google in September regarding its adtech business.
‘Discriminatory’ practices and ‘Wild West’ rhetoric
The escalation comes amid a broader U.S. investigation into foreign digital regulations. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, witnesses characterized the European approach as fundamentally anti-American.
“The DMA does not ask whether consumers have been harmed. It does not even ask whether a business has done anything wrong. It asks whether a company is large, successful, and, most importantly, American,” Rep Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) testified, adding that under these rules, “innovation is treated as a threat, and foreign rivals are handed access to data and technology they could never build or earn on their own.”
Groups representing the tech industry, including the Computer and Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, have echoed these concerns, warning that the EU has “provided countries around the world with a blueprint” for targeting U.S. businesses. The USTR confirmed it would apply its retaliatory approach to “other countries that pursue an EU-style strategy in this area.”
Europe stands firm
Back in August, President Trump said he would impose “substantial tariffs and export restrictions on chips” against nations that hinder American digital companies. But European officials have quickly dismissed the accusations of bias. Thomas Regnier, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said the bloc’s regulations “apply equally and fairly to all companies operating in the EU.”
Regnier defended the measures as essential for consumer protection, asserting that the EU will “persist in enforcing our rules fairly and without bias” to prevent the digital economy from becoming a “Wild West.”
For this story, Fortune journalists used generative AI as a research tool. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
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