The European Union’s competition commissioner is staring down Donald Trump on the issue of big tech regulation.
Teresa Ribera has given notice to the US president that Europe will not change its tune when it comes to enforcing its regulations against the US global tech giants.
That scenario will play out soon when the EU rules on anti-trust cases against Apple and Meta.
Ribera has told Reuters that Brussels won’t be pushed into making changes to law by the new US administration.
“We are not going to transact on democracy and values,” says Ribera, EU anti-trust chief and Spain’s former Third Deputy Prime Minister.
Her standing firm comes at a time Europe faces threats of punishing tariffs by the Trump administration.
Trump has already made it clear that Europe imposes too many rules on US tech companies.
In her interview with Reuters, Ribera said Trump has upended the “trustful relationship” between the United States and Europe, and that Brussels should focus on providing the predictability and stability that is lacking in Washington.
The European Union’s competition commissioner, Teresa Ribera
She told Reuters that while Europe needs to negotiate with the White House and hear its concerns on trade, it should not be pushed into making changes to laws that have been approved by lawmakers.
“We need to stick to our strengths and principles,” she said in the interview.
“We need to be flexible, but we cannot transact on human rights nor are we going to transact on the unity of Europe, and we are not going to transact on democracy and values.”
Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium are due to come into force in just three weeks’ time.
Semiconductor chips, cars and pharmaceuticals face reciprocal tariffs in April.
Last week the European parliament published a detailed paper on the likely impact of Trump tariffs on the EU.
It says the EU currently has a €157bn trade surplus in goods with the US. Its says the 25 % tariffs on aluminium and steel imports from March 12 “will hit many EU firms hard”.
Whether the US ramps up its tariffs even more in retaliation at Brussels’ and Ribera’s defiance remains to be seen.
But there is long running disdain for Europe and its regulatory framework in the Trump camp which suggests they will be relentless.
As we reported this month, Elon Musk has been fuming at Europe’s move to impose tariffs on EVs made in China. He imports many Tesla EVs into Europe from the company’s Shanghai factory.
Musk has also spent considerable energy actively supporting Germany’s right wing Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) party ahead of the German election, this Sunday, February 23.
He wants political reform in western Europe countries in general.
Trump can expect ongoing support by the big US tech companies for persisting against European regulation.
Relations between Europe and the US are already frosty over Trump’s decision to unilaterally negotiate a proposed end to the Ukraine war without the involvement of Ukraine specifically and Europe generally.
US v Europe is already a nasty and bitter confrontation between two of the world’s most powerful blocks, politically and economically.
It looks like that confrontation will get much worse.
