EU lawmakers claim US visit helped smooth differences on tech regulation
The Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament (IMCO) visiting the US this week to meet with US policymakers and stakeholders has claimed it was able to 'clarify some misunderstandings' with regard to EU laws amid an ongoing backlash from US Big Tech.
'Our European laws are the result of a democratic process. There is a broad consensus that we cannot backtrack on our digital rulebook, made with the European citizens and businesses in mind and not to appease American 'Big Tech' oligopolies,' said MEP Anna Cavazzini (Germany/Greens/EFA), the chair of IMCO, in a statement.
The visit, which took place from 24 to 28 February, comes in the wake of heavy criticism of EU tech regulation from the Republican administration of President Donald Trump. Vice President JD Vance, who spoke in Paris at the AI Action Summit earlier this month, said the US will not accept others "tightening the screws" on US companies.
In addition, Big Tech companies, including Meta, seem keen to co-opt Trump into pushing back against rules affecting online platforms, including the EU's AI Act, Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Cavazzini said that while Europe has witnessed 'aggressive communication' from the US, these calls do not represent the views of 'the majority of stakeholders, but rather only those of powerful tech giants in Silicon Valley'.
'Smaller US businesses confirmed that they benefit from the Digital Markets Act establishing conditions in the EU that are favourable to all market actors and incentivise innovation,' she said.
Industry also spoke out against the US criticism. EU consumer group BEUC said that 'the EU's tech laws are essential to address the overwhelming power of Big Tech giants.'
'The EU must stand firm and enforce laws adopted by its sovereign and democratic institutions. [...] It is extremely worrying to see the US Administration threatening trade retaliation in response to lobbying by Big Tech companies,' Agustín Reyna, Director General of BEUC, said in a statement.
The IMCO delegation said the meetings with members of US Congress, representatives from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the State Department, the Federal Trade Commission, as well as think tanks, were constructive.
The delegation also consisted of Andreas Schwab (Germany/EPP), Pablo Arias Echeverría (Spain/EPP), Christel Schaldemose (Denmark, S&D), Klára Dostálová (Czechia/PfE), Piotr Müller (Poland/ECR), and Sandro Gozi (France/Renew).
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