Brussels tech reporters anticipating a Commission response to Trump’s tariffs have been eyeing the Berlaymont in recent days like warriors gathering for a siege.
Unfortunately, many of them are already lost in the fog of war.
The Financial Times fired the first shot with its prediction last week that Apple and Meta would be let off the hook and pay very small fines for breaches of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) – the Commission’s flagship tool to punish Big Tech when they abuse their dominant position on platforms like Facebook and the Apple AppStore.
The reason for low-balling the fines, according to the FT? Fear of Trump’s retaliation.
The newspaper also predicted an announcement from the Commission this week, hedging to note “that timing could also still change”.
America’s Politico was even more impatient, speculating that the EU’s “three yearlong investigations (sic)” would come to a close, “with announcements that could come as late as the end of the week”.
These half-hearted predictions have put many in Brussels on edge. They shouldn’t.
For one, timing this week only matters if the aim is to fold enforcement of the DMA into the Trump trade war. But why should the Commission march to the beat of that drum?
A more sober view came from Capitol Forum‘s Europe editor, Javier Espinoza. He said there would be no fines as long as the EU’s competition chief, Teresa Ribera, is across the pond for an antitrust conference. She’s there all week. If he’s right, even sadder times lie ahead for Politico.
But all this speculation about when the DMA news will break misses the bigger picture.
There’s another, arguably more important angle to consider. Like the GDPR before it, the DMA is another example of Brussels influencing laws across the globe, with copycats already in Brazil, Japan and the UK, and many more to follow as the DMA takes scalps in Europe.
In other words, it’s safe to say that Trump’s trade war is just one skirmish in the wider theatre of the battle for supremacy in the 21st century, a battle in which Europe and its friends are increasingly well-placed to come out on top (at least when it comes to regulation).
All without killing a soul.
Roundup
Defence – Europe is reprioritising its €392 billion multi-year regional development fund to boost its defence sector and get the EU ready for war.
Corporate sustainability – A coalition of right-wing MEPs voted today in favour of fast-tracking a multi-year delay to the EU’s sustainability reporting rules.
Health – The US administration on Monday published a long list of foreign policies and regulations it considers trade barriers, adding that it was “monitoring” the current review of EU pharmaceutical legislation.
Tech – The GDPR is being negotiated as part of the EU’s fourth omnibus to slash reporting requirements for medium-sized businesses, or ‘mid-caps’, but that doesn’t exclude it from later revision.
Across Europe
Germany – Germany’s outgoing Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, has credited a significant drop in asylum applications over her term to the reinstatement of controls at all German borders.
France – A French court ruled today that last year’s ban on TikTok in New Caledonia was illegal and disproportionately infringed rights and freedoms.
[DE, BTS]
