NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Europe is trying to push American companies out of the European market by assaulting the U.S. with discriminatory taxes and regulations. It’s time to put a stop to their freeloading.
Europe’s reckless actions embolden America’s rivals like China and Russia. European bureaucrats have imposed anti-free speech regulations such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the anti-American Digital Markets Act (DMA) as blunt instruments against U.S. workers and businesses. This results in millions of dollars in fines and taxes fueling the EU welfare state at the expense of America.
The EU is biting the hand that feeds its digital economy while pretending to champion fairness. This hypocrisy must end.
Europe must pivot toward collaboration with the U.S., not confrontation, to counter the long-term threat: Chinese dominance.
WHY US MUST ASSERT INDUSTRIAL DOMINANCE IN LIGHT OF CHINA-EUROPE TIES
Europe’s DSA and DMA target American companies. French officials even dubbed these laws the “GAFA tax” as a direct critique of Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. These laws impose stringent rules and hefty fines that purposefully clobber U.S. companies.
While European bureaucrats claim neutrality, the bias is obvious. American firms get hit while European firms conveniently escape scrutiny.
This is not regulation; it’s non-tariff protectionism disguised as principle. Europe benefits from U.S.-built platforms, including cloud services, AI models and digital infrastructure, while punishing the innovators who created them.
THE EU WANTS TO CONTROL AMERICAN BUSINESSES. THIS NEW BILL MIGHT BE THE ONLY THING THAT CAN STOP IT
Over 80% of Europe’s digital technologies are imported, primarily from the U.S., yet the EU seems determined to penalize the very partners fueling its digital economy.
The DSA’s vague content moderation rules empower unelected bureaucrats to censor online discourse, chilling expression under the guise of combating “harmful” content. The Trump administration is right: At the 2025 Munich Security Conference, Vice President JD Vance warned that Europe risks alienating American innovators and undermining shared democratic values.
By imposing speech controls that clash with U.S. free expression principles, Europe not only creates a rift between allies but also plays into the hands of authoritarian regimes.
VANCE IS RIGHT ABOUT FREE SPEECH. THAT’S WHAT MAKES EU AND US LEFTISTS SO MAD
Europe’s pursuit of “digital sovereignty” through initiatives called “Gaia-X” and “EuroStack” highlights its freeloading on American innovation. Gaia-X, a French-German government attempt to establish a European cloud ecosystem, has failed to match U.S. companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
EuroStack is an even costlier EU government project. It seeks to build a comprehensive European digital infrastructure, including chips and AI. It is backed by over 300 billion euros in public subsidies.
EU bureaucrats rely heavily on taxpayer-funded investments to replicate what American companies achieve through private initiative. This is not true sovereignty; it’s subsidizing inefficiency while benefiting from the U.S.’s decades of investment.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
American national security is at stake as China is relentless in its pursuit to become the world’s tech superpower. Beijing is filing more AI patents and deploying AI at a scale that surpasses both the U.S. and Europe. Its state-driven model, unburdened by the democratic values Europe claims to uphold, poses a threat to dominating global digital infrastructure.
America and Europe must stand united against this threat. A divided West only strengthens Communist China.
Europe must abandon its discriminatory freeloading mindset and collaborate with America. A joint U.S.-EU tech agenda could accelerate innovation in AI, quantum computing and defense technologies with the goal of surpassing China’s authoritarian model.
Every euro spent on anti-American regulations or duplicative projects is a euro not invested in countering China’s technological ambitions. Europe’s leaders must recognize their role in escalating trade tensions and commit to a unified front. Let us innovate together, compete together, and halt China’s march toward economic and technological dominance.
The alternative – continued freeloading, fragmentation and discrimination – risks a future where both the U.S. and Europe are sidelined in the global tech race. The choice is ours.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM GROVER NORQUIST
Read the full article here