TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsUS threatens countermeasures on European service providers after EU fines
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media, on the day they attend a working lunch with EU ministers responsible for trade, in Brussels, on Nov. 24, 2025. (Reuters/Piroschka van de Wouw)
P
resident Donald Trump's administration warned on Tuesday the United States could impose fees or restrictions on European service providers in response to what it called “discriminatory” actions against US firms.
Thetrade Office of the US Trade Representative, in a post on X, accused the European Union and some of its member states of "discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines and directives against US service providers," while arguing EU companies, such as Accenture, DHL, Siemens, Spotify and others "operate freely" in the United States.
"If the EU and EU Member States insist on continuing to restrict, limit and deter the competitiveness of US service providers through discriminatory means, the United States will have no choice but to begin using every tool at its disposal to counter these unreasonable measures," the USTR wrote.
It added that US law permits the assessment of fees or restrictions on foreign services “among other actions,” pointing to other EU service providers Amadeus, Capgemini, Mistral, Publicis and SAP.
The threat comes as Europe is forging ahead with a crackdown on Big Tech companies, with regulators imposing a fine of 120 million euros (US$140 million) on Elon Musk's X social media platform earlier in December just months after hitting Google with an unexpectedly high 2.95-billion-euro charge.
The US government has taken aim against EU digital legislation, linking reductions in US steel import tariffs to weaker EU digital rules and ordering its diplomats to launch a lobbying blitz against the laws.
The European Commission pushed back against the USTR's accusations, saying its rules “apply equally and fairly to all companies operating in the EU.”
Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said in a statement that the bloc’s regulations are designed to ensure “a safe, fair and level playing field in the EU, in line with the expectations of our citizens,” and stressed that enforcement is carried out “without discrimination.”
Regnier added that the EU is “implementing the commitments in the EU-US Joint Statement” and remains engaged with Washington on trade issues.
Your Opinion Matters
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Enter at least 30 characters
0
/ 30
Thank you
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.
