The Trump administration threatens to retaliate against Spotify and others over EU technology regulation

US Trade Representative:

The European Union and some EU member states have pursued an ongoing trail of lawsuits, taxes, fines, discriminatory directives, and harassment against U.S. service providers. US service companies provide significant free services to EU citizens and trustworthy corporate services to EU companies, and they support millions of jobs and more than $100 billion in direct investment in Europe. The United States has raised concerns with the European Union for years on these matters without meaningful engagement or substantive acknowledgment of US concerns.

In stark contrast, EU providers have been able to operate freely in the United States for decades, benefiting from equal access to our markets and consumers. Some of the largest providers in the EU that have so far enjoyed this expanded market access include, among others:

– Accenture
– Amadeus
-Capgemini
– DHL
– Mistral
– Publicis
-Sab
— Siemens
-Spotify

If the EU and EU member states insist on continuing to limit, restrict, and deter the competitiveness of US providers through discriminatory means, the United States will have no choice but to start using every tool at its disposal to counter these unreasonable measures. If response measures are necessary, US law permits the assessment of duties or restrictions on foreign services, among other measures. The United States will adopt a similar approach in dealing with other countries that pursue a strategy similar to that of the European Union in this area.