EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič then said that the EU was ready to respond to questions from Washington. “We will look at how we can start the process around digital matters,” he said in Brussels. However, Šefčovič emphasized that the EU laws regulating large digital companies are “not directed against US companies” – they apply equally to all companies.
In Brussels, Ursula von der Leyen’s EU Commission is conducting several proceedings against US companies for alleged violations of European digital rules, including Meta, Apple and Google. In recent months, the EU Commission had also imposed a billion-dollar fine on Google for violating competition rules.
On the sidelines of a meeting with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Brussels, EU representatives pushed for a reduction in US steel tariffs. “There is still work to do, especially in steel and steel derivatives,” said EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič on Monday. However, he does not expect an agreement at the meeting.
“Today is not about negotiations, but about taking stock” of trade relations, explained Šefčovič. It is the first visit by the two US representatives to Brussels since US President Donald Trump took office and the customs dispute with the EU that he instigated.
