French Leader Condemns Delayed Action Against Tech Giants
French President Emmanuel Macron has launched a sharp criticism against Brussels for what he calls an unacceptably slow pace in investigating American technology giants. During a town hall event in the Vosges region of northeastern France, Macron expressed his frustration with cases that have remained unresolved for two years under the Digital Services Act (DSA), describing the progress as "much too slow".
The French leader made a striking claim that the real obstacle isn't Russian interference but rather American pressure. According to Macron, numerous officials at both the European Commission and member state levels are hesitant to pursue these investigations due to an "American offensive against the application of directives on digital services and markets."
US Trade Tactics Intensify Transatlantic Tensions
Macron's comments came after a particularly tense week in Brussels where US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick directly confronted EU ministers. The American official reportedly suggested that the EU should "reconsider" its technology regulations in exchange for reduced tariffs on steel and aluminum.
This approach reveals Washington's strategy of treating Europe's digital rules as bargaining chips in broader trade discussions. The situation has become increasingly contentious since President Donald Trump returned to office, with both US officials and technology executives actively lobbying against the EU's regulatory framework.
Lutnick presented a tempting offer to European leaders, suggesting that the bloc could attract $1 trillion in US investment, primarily through AI-powered data centers, if it adopted what he called a "balanced approach" to digital regulations.
EU Defends Enforcement Amid Growing Political Pressure
European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier has defended the institution's handling of digital legislation enforcement. Regnier emphasized that officials are "building solid cases, because we have to win them in court," indicating that the comprehensive nature of these investigations naturally requires more time.
The Commission currently has open investigations under the DSA targeting several major platforms:
- X (formerly Twitter)
- Meta
- AliExpress
- Temu
- TikTok
These probes could potentially result in substantial penalties, with fines reaching up to 6 percent of a company's annual global revenue, though no such fines have been imposed thus far.
Meanwhile, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen and competition commissioner Teresa Ribera have both pushed back against American pressure. Ribera went so far as to characterize Washington's tactics as "blackmail." In response to the growing controversy, the European Parliament's Socialists and Democrats group is taking steps to establish an inquiry committee that will investigate the EU's enforcement of digital rules.
