Report from >Financial Times
In Brief – Enforcement of EU digital regulations, including intensifying scrutiny of major US tech companies Google, Meta, Apple and X, is going to mark European digital policy in 2026 and almost certainly bring renewed clashes with the Trump Administration. Implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA), which aim to curb the power of online “gatekeepers” and strengthen oversight of illegal and objectionable online content, has led Washington to demand changes to EU tech rules and threatened retaliatory tariffs. EU officials have attempted to enforce existing laws without triggering a transatlantic trade war or undermining strategic cooperation with the US on issues like Ukraine. However, Commission competition chief Teresa Ribera continues to insist that the bloc will not roll back its regulations under pressure. Early DMA targets Apple and Meta have already adjusted business practices after penalties, while new probes are examining Meta’s treatment of rival AI services on WhatsApp, Google’s use of online content to train AI models, and competition in cloud computing. Enforcement of the DSA is also proving sensitive, especially related to Elon Musk’s X. A €120mn fine against X sparked strong backlash from US officials, including visa bans on EU figures, and the X investigation is that is focused on politically-sensitive content is still pending.
Context – The default prospects for major tech legislation in Washington for almost a decade have been that they won’t make it through Congress. In Brussels, that’s largely not the case. Although progress can seem exceedingly slow at times, major initiatives emerge, proceed through the EU processes, get enacted, implemented, and enforced. Yes, the DSA process stretches back to 2018, but now, the online ecosystem in Europe includes unprecedented regulation. Besides more DMA and DSA enforcement, projections for 2026 include legislative work on a somewhat deregulatory “Digital Omnibus” to prod AI investment, the Digital Fairness Act, Digital Networks Act, so-called “Chat Control”, and regulation of short-term rentals.