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The United States threatened countermeasures against the EU connected Tuesday (December 16, 2025) implicit the bloc's efforts to taxation American firms, pointing to large European companies arsenic imaginable targets.
But the European Union swiftly vowed to support enforcing its tech regulations "without discrimination."
In a societal media post, the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) bureau criticized the EU and definite subordinate states for their "continuing people of discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines, and directives" against American work providers.
It warned that if the bloc and its members pressed connected with moves deemed to deter the competitiveness of U.S. companies, Washington "will person nary prime but to statesman utilizing each instrumentality astatine its disposal to antagonistic these unreasonable measures."
The station besides signaled that cardinal European businesses could beryllium targeted successful response, listing Accenture, DHL, Mistral, Siemens and Spotify among others.
"Should responsive measures beryllium necessary, U.S. instrumentality permits the appraisal of fees oregon restrictions connected overseas services, among different actions," the USTR said.
It added that Washington would instrumentality a akin attack to different countries that prosecute an "EU-style strategy successful this area."
‘Equally and fairly’
Thomas Regnier, a spokesperson for the European Commission, nevertheless responded that "as we person made wide galore times, our rules use arsenic and reasonably to each companies operating successful the EU."
"We volition proceed to enforce our rules fairly, and without discrimination," helium said.
The U.S. connection besides sparked pushback from Luther Lowe, caput of nationalist argumentation astatine startup accelerator Y Combinator.
Mr. Lowe called the determination “a disappointing betrayal of 'little tech,” adding that the EU's Digital Markets Act helps unlock marketplace stock for U.S. firms.
President Donald Trump has antecedently lashed retired astatine the European bloc implicit its regularisation of U.S. tech firms, and the USTR's connection marks a further effort to enactment unit connected Brussels.
Mr. Trump threatened retaliatory tariffs successful September aft the bloc slapped Google with a $3.47 cardinal antitrust fine.
Earlier this month, the U.S. person besides criticized a "nasty" $140 cardinal good by the EU against tech tycoon Elon Musk's X societal network. He warned that "Europe has to beryllium precise careful."
Tensions volition apt proceed to simmer, with Google, Microsoft and Amazon precocious facing further scrutiny by authorities successful Brussels.
On Tuesday, the USTR station argued that American companies person provided "substantial escaped services" to EU citizens and "reliable endeavor services" to companies.
It besides said that EU work providers, successful turn, had been capable to "operate freely" successful the United States.
Mr. Trump's pushback against countries that helium says are targeting U.S. tech firms has prompted immoderate changes elsewhere.
In June, Canada said it would rescind its integer services taxation — which would person deed U.S. tech giants — aft Mr. Trump said helium was ending commercialized talks with Ottawa.
