The European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law, Michael McGrath, acknowledged this Tuesday that relations with the United States have gone through “difficult moments” since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, though he insisted that Brussels is working to “resolve them,” reiterating that—regarding digital regulation—large platforms operating in Europe must adhere to European digital legislation.
Speaking at an information breakfast hosted by Europa Press, the EU’s Justice chief acknowledged that relations with the United States have experienced “difficult moments over the last year and a half” following Trump’s return to the White House, while defending the European Commission’s efforts to “overcome them.”
Amidst a full-blown US offensive against the European digital regulatory framework, McGrath noted that during his recent trip to the United States—which he described as “intense”—he was able to explain the “true story” of European policy and the bloc’s “balanced” approach to digital regulation.
“Just as European companies operating in the United States must respect and comply with the rules that apply there, likewise, European, American, or Chinese companies operating within the European Union must respect our rules—including our digital ones,” he stated.
According to McGrath, during his visit to California—where he met with senior executives from the world’s leading digital companies—he sensed that they “wish to maintain a close and cordial working relationship” with the EU. “We must not forget that the EU Single Market, with its 450 million people, is an extraordinarily valuable market for these companies to operate in,” he noted.
In addition to insisting on compliance with European regulations, the Irish Commissioner pointed out that these tech giants are seeking “certainty, consistency, and predictability” regarding this framework. “I was able to explain the significant efforts we are making regarding simplification, with the aim of alleviating the regulatory burden—without, however, resorting to deregulation for its own sake,” he argued. TRADE AGREEMENT WITH THE US
In any event, regarding the turbulence in relations with Washington, McGrath emphasized the trade agreement reached last July—amidst Trump’s tariff offensive—stressing that the EU remains focused on “implementing its part” of the pact. “This is a trade relationship worth 1.6 billion euros annually,” he noted.
In this regard, he underscored that one of the pillars of this trade relationship is precisely the data privacy framework between the EU and the United States, which “enables secure international data flows” between companies and public authorities on both sides of the Atlantic. “It makes it possible for all of this to function,” he highlighted.
Given this context, he emphasized that US authorities must uphold the necessary safeguards to preserve this data privacy framework, insisting that these safeguards constitute a condition for the EU.
