French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU should consider retaliatory measures against the US digital sector after US President Donald Trump criticized the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), European publication Politico reported, citing sources.
The French leader noted at a cabinet meeting on August 27 that Europe “should not rule out the possibility of getting to know the US digital sector“. According to an unnamed French official, Macron stressed that the EU has “a large trade deficit with the US” in the services sector and that the community “needs to focus on that“.
The French president is expected to raise the issue with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on August 28.
Earlier, Trump said that the United States was ready to impose additional tariffs on goods from countries whose digital rules, in his opinion, discriminate against American companies. In addition, Reuters, citing sources, reported that the Trump administration is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against the European Union or representatives of European countries over the Digital Services Agreement.
The EU Digital Services Act came into force in August 2023. It significantly increased control over 19 platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, AliExpress, Amazon Store, AppStore, Booking and others. If companies do not comply with the law, they face a fine of up to 6% of their global revenue.