Europe Is Bending the Knee to the US on Tech Policy

Almost everything is connected hiatus. The EU AI Act, Digital Services Act, and Digital Markets Act are each astatine risk. The European Commission is preparing to extremity the twelvemonth with virtually nary question connected its astir important tech argumentation initiatives. Many measures whitethorn adjacent beryllium reversed.

In particular, a bid of changes threatens to weaken the full model of the EU AI Act by eroding its substance. There could besides beryllium large reconsiderations of the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act. Not to notation the Digital Networks Act and the EU Space Act, earlier they adjacent spot the airy of day, are already the taxable of ineligible disputes. Since the tariff statement betwixt the United States and Europe was signed past August, large tech companies, backed by the Trump administration, person accrued unit to soften restrictions connected each fronts.

Possible AI Act Delay

Europe's landmark artificial quality instrumentality went into effect successful August 2024, but the deadline for afloat implementation is acceptable for August 2027, with an important intermediate milestone successful 2026. According to the Financial Times, the archetypal reappraisal of imaginable amendments could instrumentality spot toward the extremity of 2026 arsenic portion of a broader Digital Omnibus package, which aims to simplify guidelines.

At a regular property briefing connected November 7, Thomas Regnier, the spokesperson for the European Commission for Digital Sovereignty, acknowledged mounting concerns. “A batch is happening successful the tract of artificial intelligence. Standards are lagging. There are concerns from manufacture and subordinate states," helium said. “In this context, we person a ‘digital omnibus’ coming, and that would beryllium the due model to code immoderate of these concerns. But nary determination has been made yet.”

The astir important alteration would impact postponing by 1 year—from August 2026 to August 2027—the exertion of penalties for violations of the caller rules successful bid to “grant capable clip for providers and users of AI systems to comply.”

The Telecom Industry Frays

The Digital Networks Act had been promised by the extremity of the year, but the EU Commission is stalling. The enactment won't beryllium discussed again until precocious January 2026, assuming an statement tin beryllium reached. There are excessively galore differences of sentiment among subordinate states, peculiarly connected 2 issues: shutting down copper networks and strengthening BEREC, the European regulatory authority.

On the contented of shutting down copper networks, Germany reportedly said nary to the projected 2030 deadline, which it considered excessively soon. Regarding the strengthening of BEREC, galore nationalist authorities person balked, citing differences successful marketplace conditions arsenic their authoritative rationale. In reality, the pushback is apt owed to fears of losing power and powerfulness successful their respective countries. In short, the azygous telecom marketplace task is slipping away. The revision of nett neutrality rules has disappeared from the mentation of the Digital Networks Act presently being worked on, portion the inaugural to rebalance marketplace conditions betwixt telecoms and large tech companies is ill-defined.

Space Is Not Limitless

The United States has officially spoken retired against the EU Space Act, declaring Europe’s connection unacceptable arsenic it would hinder American companies by restricting their scope of operations. In a 13-page papers responding to the nationalist consultation launched successful July by the European Commission, the US State Department listed each the sections that would request to beryllium revised for Europe to debar retaliation for failing to conscionable the commitments made successful the model statement connected tariffs. “The existent draught of the EU Space Act contradicts the tone of the agreement,” the State Department wrote flatly, calling connected Europe to “allow for smoother practice with the U.S. authorities and manufacture alternatively than present further barriers to cooperation.”

American Tech Giants Resist DSA and DMA

The European Commission continues to nonstop letters to American tech giants calling connected them to comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). But with a barrage of appeals from the parties involved, timelines are becoming highly drawn out.

Apple and Google person sharply criticized the DMA successful caller weeks, underscoring however strained the negotiations with Europe are becoming. Last August, the Federal Trade Commission warned that definite DSA rules mightiness struggle with American laws, peculiarly regarding state of look and the information of United States citizens.

Breaking Up the Band

The US State Department reportedly lobbied connected behalf of the Wi-Fi industry, which includes large American companies similar Apple, Broadcom, Cisco and Qualcomm, to support a circumstantial set of the mobile spectrum. According to the MLex quality outlet, the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG), which assists the European Commission successful processing vigor spectrum policy, has projected a compromise connected the usage of the precocious 6 GHz set successful favour of the mobile telephone industry.

The US State Department reportedly urged subordinate states to reserve astir fractional of the set for Wi-Fi services, specifically for high-speed, low-latency applications specified arsenic virtual world and unreality gaming. According to MLex, 13 retired of 27 countries including Italy sided with the mobile operators, portion the others abstained. In immoderate case, EU countries tin alteration the argumentation since the RSPG lone issues recommendations, not binding decisions. For a last decision, the shot is successful the European Commission's court.

This communicative primitively appeared connected WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.