MATT MOWERS: Europe’s Anti-Tech Crackdown Is A Scam

Europe says it wants a fair trade deal with the United States. But behind the diplomatic handshakes and friendly press conferences, European leaders, particularly the bureaucrats in Brussels, are making moves to kneecap American companies before negotiations even begin. These aren’t efforts to level the playing field. They’re strategic moves to tilt it, ensuring Europe wins before the first handshake.

Fortunately, not every European leader is buying into this agenda. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has shown she’s willing to challenge the EU’s stale globalist consensus and stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump. Their recent meeting sparked hope for a new era of transatlantic trade, one built on fairness, national sovereignty, and mutual respect rather than bureaucratic red tape.

But while reform-minded leaders like Meloni are pushing for real change, the unelected technocrats in Brussels are charging ahead with a digital protectionism agenda that directly targets American innovation. This isn’t about protecting consumers or promoting safety. It’s about locking in a permanent advantage for European firms by undercutting their American competitors.

Consider what Brussels has already done. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) singles out a tiny group of so-called “gatekeeper” companies, nearly all of them American, and hits them with burdensome, one-sided rules that no one else has to follow. The Digital Services Act (DSA) is supposed to be about regulating online speech, but in practice, it disproportionately applies