No, the European Commission does not intend to suspend the ongoing investigations targeting American digital giants, under the aegis of the DSA and the DMA. Yes, it is still preparing a response to these surcharges, and is even considering taxing AI and digital champions. These are the two messages given by Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European executive, on Thursday, April 10, to the Financial Times, and by Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's executive vice-president, to the Figaro, this Friday, April 11.
A few hours earlier, Donald Trump decided to finally suspend the 20% customs duties on European products for 90 days.
Taxing advertising revenue from American digital services
And for the President of the European Commission, Brussels, which is still negotiating with Washington, continues to study the possibilities "Retaliatory measures." "There is a wide range of countermeasures in case the negotiations are not satisfactory," she emphasized to our British colleagues, such as the European Union's anti-coercion tool, which allows it to hit service exports.
Ursula von der Leyen is even considering taxing advertising revenue from American digital services across the European Union. A point later developed by Henna Virkkunen in Le Figaro. The vice-president pointed out that five member states, including France, have their own digital taxes – the Gafa tax. "We must consider this possibility in the coming years, even if the difficulty at the European level is finding a consensus on this subject," explained the European Commissioner for Digital Affairs. In terms of taxation, the measures must indeed be voted on unanimously.
The DSA and DMA remain "untouchable"
Another element that the two leaders returned to: in the ongoing negotiations with Washington, neither the DMA nor the DSA, the two European laws that regulate digital services and markets, are on the table.
There is no question of reviewing these European regulations on digital technology, described as "untouchable," Ursula von der Leyen emphasized. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, his vice president, consider these two texts to be real taxes on American companies. "These issues are not part of the negotiation package, because they are our sovereign decisions," the president of the executive insisted. This point was repeated by Henna Virkkunen in the columns of Le Figaro. Europe has been repeatedly accused of putting a stop to its ongoing investigations targeting Apple, X, Elon Musk's social network, and Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, after the first verbal attacks from Donald Trump and his Vice President V.D. Vance. While the New York Times revealed last week that X could pay a massive $1 billion fine very soon for violating the DSA, this possibility was dismissed by Brussels a few days later. However, "we are not postponing decisions," Henna Virkkunen insisted in Le Figaro. "Our goal is not to impose heavy fines, but to ensure that companies comply with the rules. We have several ongoing investigations that will be concluded in the coming weeks. We will make decisions soon," she added.
0 Comments