The EU Commission’s vice-president, Teresa Ribera, has asked the bloc to hear out US President Donald Trump’s demands, not yield to them.
In an interview that aired on Friday, Ribera was referring to Washington’s call to do away with established codes and green supply and digital advertising rules.
She made the comments amid ongoing controversy surrounding the EU’s recent actionsagainst Elon Musk’s X, including the imposition of a whopping $140-million fine for breaking digital rules, and the US administration’s allegation that the EU is resorting to discriminatory methods against US companies.
Responding to the allegations, she said: “It’s not by chance that it’s the green and digital agenda that are under threat. They are the main drivers of competitiveness.”
Ribera’s strong remarks also highlight the growing rift between the US and the EU bloc, as the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accuse the bloc of curbing free speech by imposing excessive regulations and censorship.
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In particular, the EU’s digital rulebook has become a major point of contention between Brussels and the Trump administration.
The EU regulatory committee’s imposition of heavy fines on US tech giants, including Google and Apple, earlier this year attracted massive backlash from President Trump, who threatened to impose sweeping tariffs and sanctions on the bloc if the “discriminatory actions” continue.
Since Trump’s return to the White House in January this year, EU-US relations have come under strain due to disputes over trade, defence spending and digital regulation.
Both sides have also clashed over the Ukraine conflict settlement process, as Trump has sidelined the entire bloc from ongoing peace negotiations.
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