EU to press ahead with enforcing digital laws despite US criticism: senior official

BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) will continue to enforce its digital rules despite US criticism, a senior EU official said on Monday, after US President Donald Trump threatened higher tariffs on countries imposing such regulations.

European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said on social media platform X that the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) are "sovereign legislations" applying to all online platforms operating in the bloc.

"The DSA and DMA are our sovereign legislations," she said, stressing that the rules are non-discriminatory and apply equally to all companies providing services in the EU.

Trump warned on Tuesday that the United States would impose "substantial additional tariffs" and export restrictions on countries that adopt digital taxes or regulations targeting US tech giants.

In a letter sent Monday to US Congressman Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Virkkunen said that EU digital legislation has no extraterritorial reach, but insisted that any service offered in the bloc must comply with EU law, regardless of where the company is headquartered.