1st LD Writethru: EU digital legislation not on table in trade talks with U.S.: spokesperson

The Star

8 hours ago

BRUSSELS, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The digital legislation is not on the table in the trade negotiations between the European Union (EU) and the United States, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told a briefing Monday.
Regnier emphasized that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has made it clear that EU legislation is not up for negotiation, "and this also includes, of course, our digital legislation," he said.
"We're not going to adjust the implementation of our legislation based on the actions of third countries. If we started to do that, then we would have to do it with numerous third countries," Regnier added. Nevertheless, the spokesperson said that the Commission remains committed to reaching a trade deal with the United States by July 9.
The United States has repeatedly criticized the EU's digital regulations, including the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), as unfair and has urged the EU to ease oversight of American tech giants.
In February, the White House warned in a memo that it would consider retaliatory measures if EU regulators targeted American tech firms under the DMA or the DSA.
Just two months later, in April, the European Commission found that U.S. companies Apple and Meta violated the DMA and issued significant fines against both firms.
European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic announced Monday that he will travel to Washington on July 1 to continue efforts toward a U.S.-EU trade deal.
Bloomberg reported Monday that the EU is willing to accept a trade arrangement with the U.S. that includes a 10 percent universal tariff on many of the bloc's exports, but wants the United States to commit to lower rates on key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, alcohol, semiconductors and commercial aircraft.
The EU is also pushing the United States for quotas and exemptions to effectively lower Washington's 25 percent tariff on automobiles and car parts as well as its 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum, according to Bloomberg.