The big American tech companies hope to have found in Donald Trump their champion who will twist the arm of the European Commission. The regulator has this fault of doing its job: regulating. This involves imposing sanctions for abuse of a dominant position and implementing sometimes very restrictive rules to rebalance competition.
Will the Commission give in to Trump?
Mark Zuckerberg, in the midst of an accelerated Trumpification phase, was not mistaken. During the radical change in moderation of his social networks Meta, the creator of Facebook announced that he would work with the future tenant of the White House to "oppose foreign governments that attack American companies to censor more". Enough to raise a lot of questions, even concern, in Europe.
Mark Zuckerberg even hammered the point home in a podcast, where he asked Donald Trump to better defend the interests of US tech on the old continent. The Commission, whose composition was profoundly reshuffled following the European elections, is reportedly reviewing its investigations into technology groups, according to the Financial Times.
Apple, Meta and Google are the subject of several investigations following the implementation of the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA) last March. This review procedure could lead to changes or reductions in the scope of the investigations.
The arrival of Donald Trump in the geopolitical game is also said to have played a role in this procedure, according to sources of the publication. "[The US election] is going to be a game changer with these tech oligarchs so close to Trump using that proximity to put pressure on us," a senior EU diplomat said.
A Commission spokesperson, however, assured that the regulator remained "fully committed to the effective application [of its rules]." He denied that there was any "review" of the ongoing investigations. "What we have are upcoming meetings to assess the overall preparation of an investigation. No decisions can be made on these cases yet."
The official added that these types of investigations take time because of their complexity, their unprecedented nature and the "need to ensure that the Commission's decisions are legally sound." This is important, as the regulator has already been thrown into the dust on several occasions after appeals from the companies involved. So this whole story is just a storm in a teacup?
Not sure. Thierry Breton and Margrethe Vestager, two of the main supporters of the "hard line" against US tech, are no longer there. In fact, the priorities of the new Commission could change. The chief spokesperson also declared yesterday Tuesday that there may be a "political reality" across the Atlantic that exerts "pressure on the technical work [of the Commission]". He added: "We will examine and evaluate on the basis of concrete measures and the actions of the new Trump administration".
The return of Donald Trump to power will inevitably cause new frictions between the United States and Europe. The president-elect is determined to wage a new trade war with his closest allies, and the fate of the US tech giants is undoubtedly part of the equation.
Source: FT
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