US-EU trade deal 'stuck' over digital rules

The US side argues that the DSA imposes costs on US technology companies, but the European Commission has declared that loosening these regulations is an unacceptable "red line".

The European Union (EU) is trying to prevent the United States from targeting the bloc’s digital regulations, the Financial Times reported on August 17, as the two sides work out the final details of a joint statement to formalize a trade deal reached last month.

According to informed sources, disagreements over wording related to "non-tariff barriers" were one of the reasons for the delay in releasing the joint statement.

The US side believes that the EU's landmark Digital Services Act (DSA) is also among these barriers and Washington wants to leave open the possibility of concessions on this front.

The EU DSA is a landmark law aimed at making the online environment safer and fairer, by forcing tech giants to step up their efforts to tackle illegal content.

The US argues that the DSA stifles freedom of expression and imposes costs on US tech companies. However, the European Commission has said that relaxing the rules is an unacceptable “red line.”

The Financial Times quoted an unnamed US official as saying that until the joint statement was completed, President Donald Trump had no plans to sign an executive order to reduce tariffs on imported EU cars from 27.5% to 15%.

The European Commission had previously predicted that Mr. Trump would sign the executive order on August 15.

The joint statement between the US and EU was initially expected to be released just days after the July announcement by EC President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump.

Still, EU officials remain confident they will finalise a deal by the end of next week that could unlock both the joint statement and the US executive orders.

The July 2025 deal imposed 15% import tariffs on most EU goods – half the level initially threatened – and helped avert a wider trade war between the two longtime partners, which together account for nearly 30% of global trade./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/thoa-thuan-thuong-mai-my-eu-mac-ket-vi-cac-quy-dinh-ky-thuat-so-post1056260.vnp