“In the coming months, more decisions will be made,” Virkkunen said to reporters after an EU digital affairs ministers meeting in Brussels.
“With most investigations, we have already published the preliminary findings. The next step is to encourage those online platforms to comply with our rules,” she stated. If they don’t, a non-compliance decision — potentially including a fine — would follow.
While European politicians expressed cautious praise for the X decision on Friday, the Trump administration responded with anger.
“The European Commission’s $140 million fine isn’t just an attack on @X, it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X. “The days of censoring Americans online are over.”
When asked by POLITICO about accusations that the EU is unfairly targeting American companies, Virkkunen responded that out of 10 platforms under investigation under the DSA, only three are U.S. companies.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last week he felt Brussels was “afraid” of tackling U.S. Big Tech and that an “American offensive” had intimidated the European Commission.
In a press briefing earlier that day, Virkkunen remarked that in the case of X, it had taken too long to move from preliminary findings to a final decision.
“I agree that it took a very long time, especially from the preliminary findings, because these findings were already published in summer 2024,” she commented.
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