The European Union could retaliate with new taxes on American technological giants such as Google and Meta if trade negotiations fail with President Trump, said a senior EU official.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the powerful European Commission, issued the warning after Trump approved on Wednesday a 90 -day break on reciprocal tariffs against the EU and other countries, except China, to negotiate commercial agreements.
“We are developing retaliation measures,” said Von der Leyen in an interview with Financial Times published on Thursday. “There is a wide range of countermeasures … in case the negotiations are not satisfactory.”
An option is “to put a tax on advertising income of digital services,” he added.
Google and Meta derive each of its income from digital ads.
Von der Leyen said that large technology companies could be attacked using the EU anti -coercion instrument, which is based freely on the United States commercial law of 1974 and has never used the leg. Doing it would require a vote for the 27 members block that would give the European Commission powerful powers to limit US trade in the continent.
Trump has imposed a 10% tax on all EU exports to the United States. There are also 25% of tariffs in imported cars and car parts, as well as steel and aluminum.
The head of the CE described the current state of the game as a “complete turning point in global trade.”
“It is a turning point with the United States without any doubt,” he told FT. “We never return to status quo.”
As the post reported exclusively earlier this week, the EU is already expected to move forward with large fines against Google and Apple for violations of its Digital Markets Law, an extension of Gross Digital Competition that restrictions on Internet guardians.
High EU officials said that they see fines and commercial conversations as “two completely separate processes” and that they would not reduce any special agreement with the US. UU. In Tech.
The fines could be announced as soon as this week or next week.
The fine against goal could extend more than $ 1 billion, fountains said. The size of a potential fine against Apple could not be learned immediately.
Six of the seven companies covered by the DMA are Americans.
Mark Zuckerberg and Trump himself publicly criticized EU’s law, and the president refers to it as “extortion abroad.”
Trump warned that any additional EU effort to go to the United States technology industry would result in severe reprisals.
The European Commission based in Brussels has exclusive authority for EU trade and antimonopoly policy and has the power of fine technological companies up to 10% of its worldwide turnover for non -compliance with the DMA.
However, the initial sanctions are not expected to enter the law, which enter into force in 2023, reach that maximum.