In recent weeks, the European Commission has gone from defending cape and sword Digital regulation to open the door to an exemption from the law that benefits the technological giants to avoid reprisals of USA in the form of drachonians duty Against the European economy.
Given that threat, a large majority in Space, France y Germany He believes that European Union It must be firm and force large companies in the sector as Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon o Microsoft to fulfill its laws, although that harms its relationship with the administration Trump.
A new Yougov survey reveals that 68% of Spanish citizens bet on legislative firmness against calls Big Tech Americans and that 38% believe that laws are “too permissive.” In Germany, 65% of respondents ask to apply digital regulations and in France 63%. In those two countries, the number of people who consider that the law is not strict enough to grow to 47% and 42%.
Damage to European democracy
Two thirds of respondents consider that the close links between Trump and Silicon Valley They are “something bad”, while half of them believe that large technology companies hold more power than one’s own UE. A large majority believe that these corporations have a negative impact on democracy European (42% in Germany, 41% in Spain and 39% in France).
On the other hand, the percentage of people who ask to relax it ranges between 13 and 16%, an option that mainly support voters of extreme right -wing games as Vox, AfD or the national group of Marine Le Pen.
“These platforms have built their empires manipulating the public debate, dodging the supervision and weakening the institutions,” says Rasha Abdul Rahim, executive director of People vs Big Tech, an organization that together with Wemove Europe has commissioned the survey. “If the EU yields, it will send a clear message: non -elected technological oligarchs and business lobbies are above the democratic will of citizenship.”
Siege to weaken the antitrust law
The survey, made in early June but published this Thursday, arrives a few days after The Wall Street Journal Filrasse the draft of a possible agreement between Brussels y Washington that would exempt American companies from fulfilling the Digital Markets Lawthe antitrust regulation of the EU, until both parties agree how it is implemented.
This regulation has become a headache for Silicon Valley. Last April, without going any further, the commission imposed a fine of 500 million euros to Apple and another of 300 million to goal, owner of Facebook e Instagramfor abuse of power. Some organizations in defense of digital rights They have asked the commission to break Google’s advertising business, a measure also proposed in the US that, in general terms, supports about 40% of respondents.
Annoying with these sanctions, American technology companies have asked Trump for help and launched a campaign of lobby In Brussels to try to reduce the demands of the law. “If it is not addressed, this pressure could erode the sovereignty of the EU, democratic norms and their ability to regulate technology in public interest,” says Nacho Torreblanca, Senior Policy Felow of the European Foreign Council.
“Dangerous precedent”
Several Eurodiputados have shown their concern about a pressure maneuver White House that denounce as “economic coercion.” If the Trump administration manages to rewrite a law already agreed by the European Parliament It would sit a “dangerous precedent” that would weaken the European legislative capacity, have explained in statements to Political.
The fear is that the EU follows the steps of Canadathat last Monday he eliminated his impesto to the large US technology companies after the US canceled negotiations about a Commercial Agreement and threatened to impose higher tariffs on Canadian products such as retaliation.
The draft, which addresses other commercial issues, does not mention the tariffs imposed by Trump or those who have threatened the club of 27. On July 9, the tariff pause that Washington established through an executive order on April 9 ends. However, Trump has said that this date is not definitive. “We can do what we want,” he said last Friday. If an agreement is not reached, on July 14 the rates proposed as retaliation will enter into force.
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