Washington has warned that European companies operating in the U.S. could face new fees or restrictions should the European Union continue enforcing digital rules that discriminate against American businesses.
In a statement posted on X yesterday, the U.S. Trade Representative accused the EU and several member states of pursuing a
continuing course of discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes and fines
targeting American service providers. The statement suggested Washington could take retaliatory action under U.S. law if European measures continue to undermine the competitiveness of U.S. companies.
The warning named several major European firms—including Accenture, Capgemini, DHL, Mistral, SAP, and Spotify—as companies that currently benefit from broad access to the U.S. market. The Trade Representative argued that this access could be reconsidered if EU actions persist.
The dispute centres on the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA), which impose strict obligations on large online platforms. The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised the framework, arguing it disproportionately targets American technology and service companies.
Tensions intensified earlier this month after Brussels imposed a €120 million fine on Elon Musk-owned social media platform X, accusing it of breaching transparency requirements under the DSA, including the “deceptive design” of its blue checkmark.
The penalty marked the first content-related fine issued under the new legislation and drew sharp criticism from Washington.
The confrontation deepened when the billionaire argued that the European Union, in its current form, “should be abolished”.
The European Commission rejected claims of discrimination.
.jpg){kind=link}