The European Union should prepare for further action from Washington in the wake of the €890 million fine handed to Google by the European Commission on Thursday, according to Bernd Lange, the German Socialist MEP who chairs the European Parliament’s trade committee.
Speaking to Euronews, Lange warned that the penalty is likely to draw a response from the United States and cautioned Brussels not to be caught off guard. Tensions had already flared after US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer called the fine unreasonable and said it created uncertainty for trade between the two sides.
Brussels imposed the fine under the Digital Markets Act, the regulation built to rein in the dominance of large technology companies in the EU’s digital markets. The law has been a recurring target of American criticism since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Lange argued that the rules apply evenly. He pointed to the trade arrangement reached in Scotland and noted that the bloc’s regulations must be respected by everyone, not only US firms but European and other companies alike. He added that both the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act remain in Washington’s sights, and that the EU should be ready for retaliation. “To be honest, I expect that some action will come,” he said.
Tariffs Over Forced Labour Called ‘Crazy’
The EU and the US have been bound since July 2025 by a trade deal struck in Scotland, which places a 15 percent US duty on EU goods while removing EU tariffs on American products. Brussels had hoped the agreement would shield European businesses from Washington’s unpredictable decisions and tariff threats.
The bloc had expected the US to introduce a new tariff regime to replace the one set to expire on Friday, and was prepared to accept it so long as it stayed within the 15 percent ceiling. When Washington unveiled the new regime on Thursday, however, it targeted trading partners around the world, including the EU, on the grounds of forced labour.
Lange described that justification as baffling given the bloc’s own record. “We have a wonderful legislation, even stronger than the United States has,” he said.
He suggested the new tariffs could ultimately be challenged in American courts and expressed hope that trade policy would return to the authority of Congress. “I guess the courts in the United States will judge about that,” he said, adding that he hoped the November midterms would prompt Congress to reclaim the role the US Constitution assigns it under Article 1, Section 8, which places trade policy in legislative hands. “I hope this will give us also additional stability,” he said.
