The EU has pledged to stand firm against US threats following fines levied against Amercian tech companies for breaching recently introduced digital laws.

In the last five years, the world's richest trading bloc has introduced the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which regulates digital platforms, and the Digital Services Act (DSA), designed to curb illegal content. Since President Donald Trump's return to power in 2025, the US has become more vocal in its criticism of EU tech regulation.

Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder said last year that the bloc should prove its rules do not punish US companies or review them.

Late in 2025, the US Trade Representative, a government body for trade and economic policies, slammed the EU for pursuing policies that restrict, limit, and deter the competitiveness of US tech giants through discriminatory means.

It said unless the EU changed course, the United States "will have no choice but to begin using every tool at its disposal to counter these unreasonable measures," according to a social media post in mid-December.

However, in an interview with the Financial Times, EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said: "There have been moments that we have needed to, where I have needed to, stand up and say: sorry, but we're not going to undo our regulation just because you don't like [it]."

• Devs say Apple still flouting EU's Digital Markets Act six months on
• Brussels eyes AWS, Azure for gatekeeper tag in cloud clampdown
• Apple, Google tell Europe its Digital Markets Act isn't working for them – or consumers
• Meta calls €200M EU fine over pay-or-consent ad model 'unlawful'

In the last year, Meta and Apple were fined by the EU under the DMA.

Meanwhile, the DSA has been employed to target X, formerly Twitter, for allegedly breaching rules on ad transparency, data access for researchers, and the revamped blue checkmark system.

The EU's stance on tech regulation could provoke US retaliation against European suppliers.

In its online missive, the US Trade Representative argued that EU tech companies such as Accenture, Amadeus, Capgemini, Mistral, and SAP "have been able to operate freely in the United States for decades."

"Should responsive measures be necessary, US law permits the assessment of fees or restrictions on foreign services, among other actions," it said. "The United States will take a similar approach to other countries that pursue an EU-style strategy in this area."

With the EU not buckling, geopolitical tensions are set to continue affecting global tech players as 2026 progresses. ®