The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) justified this on Tuesday with discriminatory measures against US companies. While EU companies such as Deutsche Post DHL and Siemens can operate freely in the US, US companies in Europe are subject to discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines, and regulations, according to a statement. If the EU continues to restrict the competitiveness of US service providers, the US will use all means at its disposal. The authority named the German software group SAP and the European companies Amadeus, Capgemini, and Publicis as possible targets. The background to the threat is the EU's action against large technology companies. In early December, for example, competition regulators imposed a fine of €120 million on social media platform X. A few months earlier, Google had been ordered to pay €2.95 billion. The EU Commission rejected the allegations from Washington. EU regulations apply equally and fairly to all companies operating in the EU, a spokesperson for the Brussels authority said. The aim is to ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field in the EU. The dispute over the regulation of digital companies has been smoldering for some time. The US government had already attempted to link a reduction in US import tariffs on steel to a weakening of EU digital laws. It also instructed its diplomats to lobby against the laws. The EU Commission emphasized that it was implementing its joint commitments with the US and would remain in dialogue with Washington on trade issues.
(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones, Inti Landauro, and Susan Heavey. Written by Isabelle Noack. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economics) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)
