The United States calls for easing of European digital rules to provide improvements in EU resources | economy

A very clear message was presented to the highest US trade authorities this month in Brussels: if the EU wants to resolve the open dispute against steel and aluminum wires, which now stands at 50%, it must mitigate the impact of its digital laws. The United States considers these standards to limit the activity of large American technology companies by imposing requirements in terms of competency rules and content moderation. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said: “Our proposal is that the European Union carefully considers the possibility of analyzing its digital standards and tries to reach a balance. If it can reach this balanced approach, we will address the steel issues with them.”

Next to the American, in the European Council building, was his European counterpart, Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, a diplomat by profession, who in his response to the press sought a way not to oppose his wife: “We just wanted to clearly confirm to the (Commerce) Minister that our laws are not discriminatory. They are not directed at American companies. But we know that this is one of the topics that the United States wants to discuss.” But without the presence of North American representatives, the sources consulted in Brussels made it clear that there is no relationship between the two matters.

Lutnick offered on the ground to negotiate the upcoming signing of progress in the steel sector, one of the issues that fell out of the trade agreement this summer that guaranteed an overall 15% advance for European exports to the United States. He also decided that he believed that if European internet standards were relaxed, the takeover of major US tech companies in Europe could amount to $1 billion.

From the first moment Trump returned to La Casa Blanca, Washington has pressured the EU to rewrite its digital standards, in particular: the Digital Services Regulation (DSA, for its English acronyms) and the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA). And this is where he lives, right at the EU headquarters, where Lutnick and the Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, met with Sefcovic and the EU Trade Ministers and before that with the European Commission Vice-President responsible for digital sovereignty, Hina Virkonen.

“The United States has spent many years showing great concern about the regulation of digital markets and other EU-like laws. Too often, the thresholds are set in a way that sometimes affects only US companies. Law enforcement is sometimes very aggressive. The fines can be very high,” Greer criticized, between warning and clarifying: “I’m not saying this negatively, I’m just explaining a little bit about the US position and the reality we see regarding these matters.” “Laws.”

At the end of July, Washington and Brussels reached a highly unequal trade agreement. The United States imposed some general guarantees of 15% without offering anything in return. On the contrary, it obtained a reduction in customs tariffs on many agricultural products. It’s down to 50% steel and aluminum. Now both parties are implementing this agreement. For example, the European Commission has launched legal texts to reduce the costs of listed US agricultural products, but they have not yet been approved by the Council and Parliament.

The Spanish Minister of Economy and Trade, Carlos Cuerbo, said: “In a short period, the mayor is working hard to implement the agreement.” On this side and on the steel side, there are still important elements of uncertainty. Finally, and first and foremost, we want to focus on the European Union: on the excess production capacity that exists all over the world, especially in China; Reduce this 50% of Arancel; Washington does not include steel-derived products among those affected by this high rate.

However, in response to this request from Brussels, the Trump administration is calling for an easing of pressure on key technologies both in regulation and in some concrete cases that are open. The European response in the public declaration was not negative, but it served as the usual reminder that “the EU is open to discussing all concerns with its partners, but it does not change the belief that Europe has the sovereign right to legislate.”

Apart from meeting with all EU ministers, Lutnick and Greer were seen in a bilateral meeting with Carlos Cuerbo. In this case, Spain took the opportunity to demand a solution to the problem in the steel market and an agricultural exemption for accepting olives exported to the United States. “Only 2% of the olive oil sold on the American market is produced there,” the Spanish minister explains to justify his petition, considering that canceling this amount would have a negative impact on prices for North America.