In an interview with the JDD newspaper, France’s finance minister indicated that the European Union’s response to US tariffs might involve regulating the data usage by American tech giants.
Eric Lombard explained that the European Union possesses several tools at their disposal including regulatory, fiscal, and customs mechanisms. He mentioned that, for instance, the EU could enhance certain environmental criteria or regulate data usage by specific digital companies.
President Donald Trump had announced on April 2 a series of tariffs on imports entering the US, which included 20% duties on goods from the European Union, as part of broader efforts to overhaul the global trading system. In response, the EU, which is the largest trading partner of the US, has stated its intent to impose countermeasures if necessary. These measures could include retaliatory tariffs, taxes on services, and targeting American technology companies.
Lombard mentioned that EU regulations also permit imposing taxes on certain American business activities, and stated that all potential options are being considered and discussed. However, he did not provide details on how the regulation of data usage by big tech companies might be enhanced, though it is noted that data collection and processing is already overseen by stringent EU regulations like the GDPR.
Lombard suggested that the European response to the US tariffs should have “inevitable” consequences for both European and US firms. He clarified that the intention is not to tax all American imports, as that could harm both economies, but rather to strategically target specific industrial sectors.
He also maintained that there remains the potential for the tariffs to be removed through negotiations, adding that reaching a balanced agreement within a reasonable timeframe could instill confidence among French companies and households.
