U.S. slams EU for imposing heavy fines on Google and offering loans to Airbus, saying it undermines transatlantic trade stability
The Trump administration has once again expressed its dissatisfaction with the European Union's trade policies, saying that the EU's fines against American technology companies and recent loans to Airbus may undermine constructive negotiations. “Real dialogue can only occur during a ceasefire,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer said in a statement on Thursday. “The EU’s recent actions undermine these efforts and undermine transnational The continued stability of trade relations poses real risks. " The European Commission said on Thursday that it had imposed sanctions on Alphabet Inc. for violating the Digital Markets Act. Google, its subsidiary, was fined a total of 890 million euros ($1 billion). Greer called the penalty and other recent measures against Google "unreasonable financial penalties." He said: "The total amount of fines issued by the EU against Google alone exceeds 2% of the EU budget. This 'contribution' is even higher than the contribution of many EU member states to the EU budget." In his statement, Greer also criticized the European Investment Bank's announcement in late June of providing Airbus with 3 billion euros ($3.41 billion) in financing. U.S. officials have long argued that providing official aid to Toulouse, France-based Airbus would put Boeing at a competitive disadvantage. "It's clear that the EU is still targeting the most competitive American companies," Greer said. "The EU often claims to seek stability and predictability in our trading relationship, but these moves are creating significant uncertainty for U.S. exports of goods and services to Europe."