Listen: Can the EU fine Google, Apple, Meta, without angering Trump?

The European Commission announced yesterday that it is fining Google €890m. The American tech giant has been found to be in breach of the EU’s competition rules. A decision that is likely to irritate US president Donald Trump. So, what should Europeans expect in return? Google has been found to violate the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, or DMA. Here’s why. When you use Google Search to look for products, transport options, or other services, Google gives preferential treatment to its own services in the search results instead of treating competitors equally. On top of that, Google acts as an intermediary between users and third-party apps that charge for their services, taking a commission along the way. While this practice is not prohibited outright, the DMA requires consumers to have genuine choice and prevents dominant platforms from abusing their market position. According to the Commission, Google failed to comply with these rules. As a result, the Commission imposed a total fine of €890m for these two violations. And this is far from the first time the EU has targeted Big Tech. Last year, Apple was fined €500m for similar anti-competitive practices. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, was also ordered to pay €200m over its "consent or pay" model, which required users either to accept personalised advertising or pay for an ad-free version of its services. By concluding these investigations and imposing such significant fines, the EU is sending a clear signal that it is not backing down in the face of pressure from President Trump. On several occasions, Trump has demanded that Brussels stop targeting American technology companies and has repeatedly threatened to retaliate with tariffs. So, has he followed through? The answer is both yes and no. One year ago, in July 2025, the European Union and the United States reached the Turnberry Agreement, which capped US tariffs on most European goods at 15 percent. The deal was meant to restore certainty and predictability for businesses. On that front, it has clearly fallen short. Since then, Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to raise tariffs on European products. At one point, he even warned that he would impose a 100 percent tariff on French wines unless France repealed its three percent digital services tax on major US tech companies. So far, however, those threats have not been carried out. There is, however, one area where the EU appears to be paying a price for its digital regulations. As part of the Turnberry Agreement, Trump had pledged to seek a solution that would reduce US tariffs on European steel and aluminium. Since then, however, his administration has made it clear that it will not move forward on that issue as long as the EU maintains its digital services rules. As a result, European steel, aluminium and more than 400 derivative products remain subject to a 50 percent US tariff. Would those tariffs have been reduced if the EU had not fined Meta, Apple and Google? That is far from certain. Still, the situation could evolve in a way that is less favourable for Europe. The Trump administration is currently reviewing its tariff policy because part of the tariffs introduced in early 2025 expire on 24 July, after they were struck down by the US Supreme Court. The administration is therefore looking for alternative legal mechanisms that would allow it to keep tariffs at their current level—or even increase them. In that context, the European Union has reason to remain concerned, even though it is supposed to be protected by the Turnberry Agreement.