Some large US tech firms want to enlist President Trump in their attempts to water down EU tech laws. Such a strategy will only make life harder for US firms in Europe – and globally. If Donald Trump’s re-election had not already set off alarm bells across Europe, American tech firm CEOs lining up behind the president surely did. While the EU has largely failed to develop tech firms of its own, it could at least console itself with passing tech laws which US firms had to comply with. However, some US-based tech firms, emboldened by Trump’s return to the White House, are taking an increasingly defiant stance towards EU regulation. Elon Musk’s active interference in European politics, and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg’s call to “work with President Trump” to push back on Europe’s “ever increasing number of laws institutionalising censorship”, put into question Europeans’ ability to regulate the largest online platforms, even when they do business in the EU.
Author: Zach Meyers, Assistant director, Centre For European Reform.
This article is available on the CER website.
