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Trump vows to investigate EU over fining of US tech companies

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Why This Matters

This development signals heightened tensions between the US and EU over regulatory approaches to major tech companies, potentially impacting global trade policies and the operations of US tech giants in Europe. It underscores the growing influence of geopolitical considerations in technology regulation, which could lead to increased tariffs and trade disputes affecting consumers and the industry alike.

Key Takeaways

Donald Trump says the US will launch an investigation into the European Union and threatened a fresh tariff over fines handed to some of the biggest American tech companies.

It comes days after the European Commission fined Google €890m ($1bn) for operating in a way that squeezed out competitors to its services.

In a post to Truth Social, which Trump owns, the US president said the EU would pay a "very big price" over how it had treated Google, along with other major US tech companies Apple, Meta, and Amazon, which have also been investigated.

"The United States of America is not a "PIGGYBANK" for Europe, nor will we allow it to be!" he wrote.

Trump said any fines should be "entirely reversed" and that he was initiating a trade investigation of the EU while considering "a substantial TARIFF".

He added that the US would "immediately initiate a 301 investigation" over European regulators' alleged practice of "robbing American companies and, in turn, the American taxpayer".

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, external gives The Office of the United States Trade Representative the power to react and investigate trade practices believed to be unfair. The second Trump Administration has launched several such investigations, external since last year.

The tariff threat comes just one day after Trump announced new tariffs on 60 trading partners, including the EU, UK and China, of between 10% and 12.5%.

José Castañeda, a spokesman for Google, told the BBC the company had "worked hard to comply" with Europe's Digital Markets Act but had "expressed our concerns about the impact of recent EC decisions".

"We appreciate the engagement by the administration and US government," Castañeda added.

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