The Commission responded to the White House memorandum today, concerned about the broad interpretations reflected in it, the unilateral actions it may trigger and its potential impact on EU-US trade and investment. 

“The EU remains firmly committed to open markets, non-discriminatory laws and taxes, and its strong protection of Intellectual Property Rights, in full alignment with global trade rules,” said Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier in response to the White House’s memorandum.

The White House threatened tariffs to combat digital services taxes (DSTs), fines, practices, and policies that foreign governments levy on American companies.

The DSTs of EU member states, which Trump takes issue with, are non-discriminatory and applied to all large digital services regardless of where they were based and act like ”any other form of taxation.” All companies will pay their fair share in the market if they generate revenue and profit, the Commission argued.

As for the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), also in America’s crosshairs, they apply to all large digital sectors operating in the EU single market, Regnier added.

The Commission, however, restated that they remained open to working with the US and other trading partners to find global solutions to shared challenges.

That said, “if needed, the EU will respond swiftly and decisively to defend its rights and regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures,” said the Commission.