France’s junior digital minister has pushed back against claims that draft European tech rules unfairly target American companies, saying he wishes that more EU firms were big enough to be covered.
The comments, made exclusively to POLITICO by Cédric O, come after U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that Washington has “serious concerns” about both the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), which she said disproportionately impact American companies.
The draft DMA rules, which were approved by European Parliament on Wednesday, introduce a set of dos and don’ts for Big Tech firms. The DSA lays out new rules for online content.
“This is not an anti-American act,” O said, referring to the DMA. “If I’m being completely straightforward, I would love for more European companies to be covered.”
O said that he would like to see more French companies come under the rules in the future, because “it would mean that the power of those French companies is on par with American companies.”
In response to Raimondo’s “serious concerns,” O said that both France and the EU have long held “serious concerns” of their own regarding the US Cloud Act, but this hasn’t hindered Washington’s application of the law. The US Cloud Act allows American law enforcement to obtain overseas personal data for the cause of addressing security risks. It has long provoked the ire of many privacy-conscious governments in Europe.
The French minister’s comments come ahead of a trip to Washington in January, in which he will sit down with chair of the Federal Trade Commission Lina Khan, among others.
How the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act will impact U.S. business will form part of the discussions stateside, O said.
‘Tectonic plates’ in Parliament talks
Following the approval of the DMA in Parliament, France is set to shepherd the bill through final negotiations between EU institutions as it prepares to take over the bloc’s rotating presidency in January.
Parliamentarians have introduced several new rules, including a provision to allow users to both uninstall pre-installed apps and provide the option of switching to rival apps, as well as new requirements on interoperability for social media services and instant messengers.
“In the comings weeks, we’re going to try to identify things that were raised by Parliament that were not in the Council discussions,” O said. “This will be tricky because we will have to see what the Council’s position on these new items is. These will be the tectonic plates in our negotiations.”
Politically, however, both France and the European Parliament have adopted a robust stance against Big Tech abuses in the past, and are not regarded as being too far apart in terms of their approach.
“The French historical position is known, and President Macron has always been advocating for more Europe. An efficient Europe is one that allows the country leading the discussions to play an interesting institutional role,” he said.
Parliament’s text has also introduced a narrower scope than the EU Council’s and is therefore likely to target a smaller list of predominantly American firms. The French regard the DMA’s scope as a focal point in future talks with EU lawmakers, O said.
In terms of the timeline of the eventual adoption of both the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, however, O struck a cautious tone.
“There is the possibility that these texts are adopted within the French presidency. Is it certain? No,” he said, adding that there is a “common will” from both Parliament and the Council to keep the momentum up on the two texts.
In Strasbourg on Thursday, O was meeting a range of EU lawmakers close to the talks on the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.
One MEP told POLITICO on the condition of anonymity that the French appear less confident about the timeline for the Digital Services Act, but more optimistic about the Digital Markets Act. In this respect, O is keen to rally the importance of adopting the texts as early as possible.
“There is a sense of urgency. These two regulations may be the most important in the history of the internet,” he said.
Want more analysis from POLITICO? POLITICO Pro is our premium intelligence service for professionals. From financial services to trade, technology, cybersecurity and more, Pro delivers real time intelligence, deep insight and breaking scoops you need to keep one step ahead. Email pro@politico.eu to request a complimentary trial.
https://ift.tt/eA8V8J December 16, 2021 at 06:53PM
Samuel Stolton