EU Vows Swift Response If Trump Takes Action Over Big Tech RulesEU Vows Swift Response If Trump Takes Action Over Big Tech Rules

(Bloomberg) -- The European Commission said it would respond "swiftly and decisively" if US President Donald Trump takes any "unjustified measures" following his latest warning over the bloc's tech rules.

The comments come after Trump signed a memorandum on Friday warning that any fines against US businesses in the future could result in tariffs and "taking such other responsive actions necessary to mitigate the harm to the United States." 

In an accompanying directive, the US president hit out at the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which polices market abuse, and the Digital Services Act — which targets online content.  

"We are concerned about the broad interpretations reflected in the memorandum and the unilateral actions they may trigger," European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said in a statement on Monday.

He said that the bloc remains "open to working with the US and other partners to find global solutions to shared challenges" but that it "will respond swiftly and decisively to defend its rights and regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures."

Regnier added in his statement that the DSA and the DMA are enforced “fairly and without discrimination.” 

Over recent years, Big Tech has faced a slew of heavy fines from EU regulators, including over $8 billion in fines against Alphabet Inc.'s Google and an order for Apple Inc. to pay Ireland back taxes of €13 billion ($13.6 billion).  

Related:Vance Warns Europe Against Over-Regulation of Emerging AI

Under the DMA, Alphabet, Apple, Amazon.com Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. and Microsoft Corp. — are subject to a range of new prohibitions and obligations against their market behavior, with fines for violations as high as 10% of a company's revenue. 

The EU's DSA, meanwhile, polices online content — setting fines as high as 6% of global turnover for violations.