US and European trade negotiators have discussed the EU’s content moderation regulations as part of tariff talks, and while Brussels has insisted it will not water down laws at the behest of Washington, the bloc believes it can capitalize on a deregulation drive to address Trump administration concerns.
The EU’s landmark Digital Services Act “has featured as part of discussions,” European Commission spokesman Olof Gill told journalists in Brussels, as the EU’s trade commissioner met with US officials in Washington. EU officials insisted that any changes to enforcement of the law, which Washington claims targets American tech giants, would be part of a wider effort to cut red tape, not a concession. Gill also insisted the EU was making headway in trade talks with other nations because, “in this new normal, being boring and sticking to the rules has a vastly higher value than it did before.”