US President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will launch a trade investigation into the European Union and warned of possible new tariffs following regulatory penalties imposed on several major American technology companies.
The move came days after the European Commission fined Google €890 million ($1 billion), accusing the company of operating in a way that restricted competition.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the EU would pay a “very big price” for its treatment of Google, as well as other US technology companies including Apple, Meta and Amazon, all of which have faced investigations by European regulators.
“The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe, nor will we allow it to be!” Trump wrote.
US to launch Section 301 investigation
Trump demanded that the penalties imposed on American companies be “entirely reversed” and said his administration was considering imposing “a substantial tariff” on the EU.
He also announced the immediate launch of a Section 301 investigation, accusing European regulators of unfairly targeting American businesses and, by extension, US taxpayers.
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 authorises the Office of the United States Trade Representative to investigate and respond to trade practices deemed unfair. The Trump administration has initiated several such investigations since last year.
The latest tariff warning came a day after Trump announced new tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners, including the European Union, the United Kingdom and China.
Last month, Trump also threatened a 100% import tariff on any European country that introduces a digital services tax targeting American technology companies, despite several countries having implemented such taxes for years.
Tech firms respond as dispute escalates
Major technology companies, including Google, Meta, Apple and Amazon, have contributed millions of dollars to funds supporting Trump’s campaign and presidency.
Google spokesperson José Castañeda told the BBC that the company had “worked hard to comply” with the EU’s Digital Markets Act while expressing concerns over recent decisions by the European Commission.
“We appreciate the engagement by the administration and US government,” Castañeda said.
Besides the recent penalty against Google, Trump claimed Apple had been fined $15 billion by the EU, while Meta and Amazon had faced penalties of $3 billion and $2.5 billion respectively. However, the source of those figures was not explained.
Representatives from Meta, Apple, Amazon and the European Commission have been approached for comment.
Before winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump said Apple chief executive Tim Cook had contacted him directly to complain about penalties imposed by European regulators. The conversation took place shortly after Apple lost a lengthy dispute over unpaid taxes.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been fined multiple times by EU regulators for alleged breaches of privacy and competition rules. The company is also facing further regulatory scrutiny over features that authorities claim encourage addictive use of its platforms.
Last year, Meta said the EU was “attempting to handicap successful American businesses”.
Amazon has also been investigated by the European Commission but has largely avoided major penalties. In 2022, the company reached an agreement with regulators to modify certain business practices in Europe.
Separately, Luxembourg’s data protection authority had imposed a fine of more than $800 million on Amazon over alleged violations of General Data Protection Regulation rules, although that penalty was overturned last year.
