“Europe must stand up” – Thierry Breton accuses US of bullying EU over tech laws
Europe is facing a US pushback over its digital laws, says Thierry Breton, who accuses Washington of trying to bully Brussels into dropping its tech regulations.
What you need to know
🔹 Thierry Breton accuses the US of blackmail over EU digital regulation enforcement.
🔹 He defends the Digital Services and Markets Acts as vital to EU sovereignty.
🔹 Breton criticises trade imbalances and Europe’s concessions to US economic pressure.
🔹 He urges Europe to resist threats and assert control over its digital future.
T hierry Breton, former European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Digital Affairs, has launched a blistering critique of US pressure on EU tech regulation, accusing Donald Trump’s administration of “punitive blackmail” and calling on Europe to defend its sovereignty.
The EU must not bow to US threats, Breton warns
In an op-ed published in The Guardian on 28 August, Breton condemned the United States for threatening sanctions against EU officials who enforce the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) — laws designed to regulate large online platforms operating in Europe.
“These threats come with new trade barriers and unprecedented export restrictions,” he warned, calling them “an outrage” and “a direct assault on our sovereignty.”
What’s at stake: Europe’s authority to regulate its digital space
Large majorities in the European Parliament passed the DSA and DMA. Thierry Breton argues they are not aggressive policies but extensions of Europe’s democratic norms into the digital sphere: “Regulating the information space is not optional... It is the essence of sovereignty itself.”
Breton drew sharp comparisons between Europe’s measured approach and what he described as the US’s “punitive unilateral tariff regime” on physical trade.
Despite Europe being the US’s largest trading partner, he highlighted that the EU accepted a 15% tariff on its exports, while agreeing to zero tariffs on most US imports, including agriculture — a deal Breton says reeks of imbalance and capitulation.
“We must not surrender again”
Breton also criticised Europe’s obligation under the trade agreement to purchase $750bn of US energy and invest $200bn annually in the American economy, calling it a “humiliation” in exchange for vague promises of tariff stability.
“Wars often end in surrender,” he wrote. “But if we don’t push back now, we will get humiliation and instability.”
He urged a collective European response: “Enough is enough... Europe, stand up.”
GOING FURTHER
The EU surrendered to Trump over trade tariffs – now it’s in danger of capitulating again | THE GUARDIAN
Donald Trump’s EU oil and gas deal is ‘pie in the sky’, energy experts warn | FINANCIAL TIMES
The Digital Services Act | EUROPEAN COMMISSION
The Digital Markets Act | EUROPEAN COMMISSION
EU-US trade deal explained | EUROPEAN COMMISSION
