Key facts
- The U.S. will open a formal investigation into the European Union’s trade practices.
- President Donald Trump claimed the EU unfairly fined U.S. tech giants billions of dollars.
- The announcement follows the EU's fine of 890 million euros ($1 billion) against Google for antitrust violations.
- Trump threatened substantial tariffs on EU goods and predicted the penalties against U.S. companies would be reversed.
- Google stated it has worked to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act and expressed concerns about recent decisions.
President Donald Trump announced that the United States will initiate a formal investigation into the European Union's trade practices, asserting that the bloc has unfairly imposed billions of dollars in fines on American technology companies. This action comes a day after the EU fined Google 890 million euros ($1 billion) for violating digital antitrust regulations by favoring its own services and apps.
Trump stated on social media that he had previously warned the EU about fining U.S. tech firms, naming Google, Apple, Meta, and Amazon. He declared that the U.S. would not be a "PIGGYBANK" for Europe and that the investigation would target the "ROBBING" of American companies and taxpayers. He vowed that the penalties against these companies would be reversed and that substantial tariffs would be imposed on the EU at the earliest opportunity.
Google, through a spokesperson, indicated that the company has been working to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act and has voiced concerns regarding recent European Commission decisions. The EU's fine against Google is the latest in a series of actions by Brussels against major tech companies. Google had previously lost an appeal against a $4.5 billion EU antitrust fine related to its Android operating system.
The European Commission described major tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Alphabet (Google's parent), Meta, Microsoft, and ByteDance (TikTok's owner) as "gatekeepers" that control consumer access. The commission emphasized that businesses have the right to compete fairly, and gatekeepers must ensure a level playing field, while consumers should have the choice for cheaper alternatives. Google's president of global affairs criticized the fine as "product degradation" that would harm European businesses and consumers, and claimed the EU's Digital Markets Act would dismantle safety protections and remove features Europeans enjoy.