EU to axe US trade agreement in case of Trump sanctions

Teresa Ribera stressed that the EU would not stop investigations against American tech giants because of Trump’s threats

The European Union should be ready to break the trade agreement with the US if the country’s President Donald Trump does not stop putting pressure on the community over the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Commission’s executive vice president Teresa Ribera, said in an interview with The Financial Times.

“We may be kind, polite, try to find ways to solve problems and discrepancies but we cannot accept whatever [they demand]. We cannot be subject to the will of a third country,” she said.

The EC deputy head added that the community cannot jettison its values “just to accommodate the concerns of others.”

Ribera stressed that the EU will not stop investigations against American tech giants because of Trump’s threats. According to her, these companies “are making great profits out of this (European – TASS) market, but they are subject to the same laws and regulations as any other player.”

Earlier, Trump said that the United States is ready to impose additional tariffs on goods from those countries whose digital rules, in his opinion, discriminate against American companies.

Also, Reuters reported citing sources that the Trump administration is considering the option of imposing sanctions against the European Union or representatives of European countries in connection with the DSA.

The EU Digital Services Act came into force in August 2023. It significantly strengthened control over 19 platforms, including Facebook and Instagram (banned in Russia, owned by the Meta corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia), AliExpress, Amazon Store, App Store, Booking and others. If companies fail to comply with the law, they face fines of up to 6% of their global revenue.