Europe bends its knees to the United States on technology policy

Almost everything is In a pause. EU law on artificial intelligence, Digital Services Lawand Digital Markets Law They are all in danger. The European Commission is preparing to end the year with almost no movement on its most important technology policy initiatives. Many measures may even be reversed.

In particular, a series of changes threatens to weaken the entire framework I have a law By corrosion of its material. There may also be a significant rethinking of the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act. Not to mention that the Digital Networks Act and the European Space Act had already become the subject of legal disputes before they were born. Since the US-Europe tariff agreement was signed last August, big tech companies, with support from the Trump administration, have increased pressure to ease restrictions on all fronts.

Possible delay of artificial intelligence law

Europe’s landmark AI law came into force in August 2024, but the deadline for full implementation is set for August 2027, with an important intermediate milestone in 2026. According to the Financial Times, the first review of potential amendments could take place at the end of 2026 as part of a broader comprehensive digital package, which aims to simplify the guidelines.

At a daily press conference on November 7, Thomas Regnier, the European Commission’s spokesman for digital sovereignty, acknowledged the growing concerns. “A lot is happening in the field of artificial intelligence. Standards are lagging behind. There are concerns from industry and member states,” he said. “In this context, we have the ‘digital one-stop bus’ coming, and this will be the appropriate framework to address some of these concerns. But no decision has been made yet.”

The most significant change involves postponing the application of penalties for violations of the new rules by one year – from August 2026 to August 2027 – in order to “give sufficient time for providers and users of AI systems to comply.”

The telecommunications industry is collapsing

the Digital Networks Law It was promised by the end of the year, but the EU Commission is dragging its feet. The law will not be discussed again until late January 2026, assuming an agreement can be reached. There are a lot of differences of opinion between member states, especially on two issues: the closure of copper networks and the strengthening of BEREC, the European regulatory body.

On the issue of shutting down copper networks, Germany reportedly said no to the proposed 2030 deadline, which it considered too early. Regarding the strengthening of BEREC, many national authorities have abstained, citing differences in market conditions as their official justification. In fact, this decline is likely due to fears of losing influence and power in their countries. In short, the telecommunications single market project is in decline. The review of net neutrality rules has disappeared from the version of the digital networks law currently being worked on, while the initiative to rebalance market conditions between telecom companies and major technology companies is not well defined.

Space is not limitless

The United States has officially spoken out against European Union Space LawDeclaring that the European proposal is unacceptable because it will hinder American companies by restricting the scope of their operations. In a 13-page document in response to a public consultation launched by the European Commission in July, the US State Department listed all the sections that Europe needs to review to avoid retaliation for failing to meet commitments made in the Framework Agreement on Tariffs. The US State Department wrote explicitly that “the current draft of European space law runs counter to the spirit of the agreement,” calling on Europe to “allow for smoother cooperation with the US government and industry rather than imposing additional barriers to cooperation.”

US tech giants are resisting DSA and DMA

The European Commission continues to send letters to US tech giants calling on them to comply with the decision Digital Services Law (DSA) and Digital Markets Law (Blood). But with the barrage of pleas from interested parties, the timelines have become very long.

Apple and Google have strongly criticized the DMA in recent weeks, underscoring how tense negotiations with Europe have become. Last August, the Federal Trade Commission warned that some DSA rules may conflict with US laws, particularly regarding freedom of expression and the security of US citizens.

Break up the band

The US State Department has reportedly lobbied on behalf of the Wi-Fi industry, which includes major US companies such as Apple, Broadcom, Cisco and Qualcomm, to protect a certain band of mobile spectrum. According to news outlet MLex, the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG), which helps the European Commission develop radio spectrum policy, has proposed a compromise on the use of the upper 6 GHz band to benefit the mobile phone industry.

The US State Department has reportedly urged member states to set aside nearly half of the spectrum for Wi-Fi services, specifically for high-speed, low-latency applications such as virtual reality and cloud gaming. According to MLex, 13 out of 27 countries, including Italy, sided with the mobile network operators, while the other countries abstained from voting. However, EU countries can change policy as the RSPG only issues recommendations, not binding decisions. As for making the final decision, the ball is now in the court of the European Commission.

This story originally appeared on Wired Italy It was translated from Italian.