The European Commission has defended the EU’s “sovereign right” to regulate tech giants, while rejecting claims by US President Donald Trump that EU rules harm US companies.

Brussels has adopted a powerful legal toolkit aimed at curbing the influence of tech giants — mainly through the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which affects competition, and the Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates content moderation.

On Monday, without specifically naming the EU, Trump threatened new tariffs against countries whose regulations “harm” US tech companies — just days after the two sides announced details of a hard-fought transatlantic trade deal.

“It is the sovereign right of the EU and its member states to regulate economic activities on our territory in a way that is consistent with our democratic values,” said European Commission spokeswoman Paula Piño.

For his part, technology spokesman Thomas Rainier added: “With regard to President Trump’s statements that we are deliberately targeting American companies, we can categorically deny that.”

Among the provisions of the DSA is an obligation for platforms to block users who regularly share illegal content, including hate speech, a measure that critics across the Atlantic have portrayed as “censorship.”

“The claims that the DSA is a tool for censorship are completely wrong and unfounded,” Rainier stressed.

The EU has already imposed heavy fines on US giants such as Meta and Apple under the new digital regulations, which have faced months of resistance from the Trump administration.

Last week, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said that Brussels had managed to exclude these issues from trade talks with Washington and that the EU’s “regulatory autonomy” was not up for discussion. | BGNES