Europe's Digital Regulations Are Non-Negotiable, Not for Steel and Aluminum Tariff Relief

Faced with the U.S. attempt to tempt Europe into relaxing its tech regulations in exchange for the removal of steel and aluminum tariffs, the European Union has given a negative answer.

On the 24th, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Ludnick, stated that if the EU wants the U.S. to lower the 50% tariffs imposed on its steel and aluminum products and secure a "favorable steel and aluminum" agreement, it must relax regulations on tech companies.

That evening, European Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera stated in a declaration: "Europe's digital regulatory rules are not up for negotiation. Europe established these rules to ensure fair markets, protect consumer rights, and safeguard Europe's digital future."

Ludnick's direct linking of steel and aluminum tariffs with tech regulatory rules has posed a new challenge for the EU as it strives to negotiate tariff exemptions with the U.S. President Trump has publicly accused the EU of having a surplus in goods trade and erecting barriers against U.S. trade. Previously, Trump also explicitly pointed out that the EU's digital regulations are precisely the kind of non-tariff trade barriers his so-called "reciprocal tariffs" aim to target.

Zhao Yongsheng, Director of the French Economic Research Center at the University of International Business and Economics and Doctoral Supervisor at Sorbonne University, told a First Financial reporter that regarding tech regulation, the EU insists on its "legislative sovereignty" and will not easily use it as a bargaining chip for exchange. This touches upon fundamental principles within EU governance. "Moreover, in the EU's negotiation concept, 'tariffs' and 'regulatory rules' are themselves two parallel negotiation agendas; they are separate issues."