EU digital rules are not up for discussion, a spokesperson for the European Commission said in response to media reports that the US administration of President Donald Trump has instructed its diplomats to launch a lobbying campaign against the bloc’s digital rulebook.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that a memo signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warned that the EU was pursuing "undue" restrictions on freedom of expression in its efforts to combat hate speech and disinformation.
It warned against the Digital Services Act (DSA) – online platform rules in place from late 2023 with the aim to curb illegal content and products online.
A spokesperson for the Commission told Euronews in response that “our EU regulations and standards were never up for discussion, and this will not change.”
“We firmly rebut any censorship claims. The censorship allegations relative to the DSA are completely unfounded. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in the EU,” the spokesperson added.
EU rules have been the subject of several attacks since Trump came to power in January. Not only by government officials, but also by the Big Tech companies themselves.
In April, the Commission reiterated it will not make any concessions on its digital and technology rules as part of any trade negotiations with the United States after a senior advisor of Trump openly accused the bloc of waging "lawfare" against the country's Big Tech companies.
EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen told Euronews in April: "Our rules are very fair, because they are the same rules for everybody who is operating and doing business in the European Union. So, we have the same rules for European companies, American companies, and Chinese companies.”
The EU executive has begun a number of probes into companies - including American ones – for suspected breaches of the DSA, and the Digital Markets Act, online competition rules.
