British News Agency

In recent days, Trump’s senior trade adviser Peter Navarro claimed in an FT article—containing a series of complaints about so-called “non-tariff weapons”—that the EU is using “legal warfare” against America’s largest tech companies. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg accused the EU of “institutionalizing censorship,” while Trump lashed out at European fines and antitrust investigations against Apple and Facebook.

In an interview with European newspapers, Virkkunen said, “When it comes to the digital world, we are very committed to our rules. We want to ensure that the digital environment in the EU is fair, safe, and democratic.”

Virkkunen rejected claims that the EU’s digital regulations are trade barriers and emphasized that the same rules apply to all companies, whether European, American, or Chinese. “We do not target specific companies, but we apply a risk-based approach in all our regulations,” she added.

Although the Commission said all retaliation options remain on the table if trade talks fail, Virkkunen declined to speculate about possible EU actions against U.S. tech companies. France has led calls for action against American tech firms in response to tariffs imposed on European goods. Virkkunen said that “different options” for retaliation are being prepared in consultation with member states.

A former Finnish government minister and Member of the European Parliament, Virkkunen began her post at the Commission in December, with a broad mandate covering “technology sovereignty,” security and border control policies, and defending European democracy from disinformation.

One of the most debated issues is oversight of investigations into large tech firms under the EU’s new digital regulations. The Commission is investigating Alphabet, Apple, and Meta under the Digital Markets Act, which aims to ensure they do not exclude smaller competitors. Separately, it is conducting investigations into companies like X and Meta under the Digital Services Act, which is designed to prevent online harm.

Virkkunen, a member of the European People’s Party, emphasized the need to ensure that EU digital rules are not too burdensome for small businesses, especially amid rising concerns about Europe’s weak economic growth compared to the U.S. and China’s advancements in AI technologies. “Eighty percent of our technology comes from outside the EU—we’re far behind, and we have a lot of work to do,” she said.