The US urges the EU to reduce regulation of Big Tech if it wants lower tariffs.

BarcelonaThe Trump administration continues to pressure the European Union (EU) to deregulate the Big Tech sector within the bloc, where US companies rake in billions in profits. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has linked the reduction of European regulations on companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon to a potential decrease in the tariffs the US currently imposes on the European steel industry, which stand at 50%. "If they find a balanced approach, which I believe they can, then we will manage the steel and aluminum issues," the US official stated at the EU Trade Council meeting this Monday in Brussels. In fact, the European Commission proposed several measures last week. to reduce regulation related to artificial intelligence (AI). Previously, both the US president and dozens of companies had pressured Brussels to make this decision, although some of the regulations on this technology have not yet been implemented and were agreed upon just over a year and a half ago. In any case, the European Commissioner for Trade, Maroš Šefčovič, denies that EU regulations are "discriminatory" against US companies.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who also participated in the meeting with his European counterparts, told the media that, before excluding more products from the 15% tariffs agreed upon by the US and the EU this summer, the trade agreement must first be fully implemented. Thus, he completely ignored the list presented to him by Brussels of all kinds of products, especially agri-food products, which the EU intends to exempt from US tariffs.

This list, which ARA has obtained, contains some 28 pages of all kinds of products, especially food and beverages crucial to the European economy. It includes olive oil, wine, and pasta, among others. However, the EU also wants to exempt items such as sunglasses, diamonds, industrial machinery, and some textile products, like shoes and hats, from US tariffs.