May 8, 2025 – EU-US Forum Tip Sheet

1. 😱 MATT MOWERS: EUROPE’S ANTI-TECH CRACKDOWN IS A SCAM

A spade is a spade, and as Matt Mowers recently pointed out, referring to the EU’s outrageous crackdown on U.S. tech companies: a scam 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…

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…” penned Matt Mowers – EU-US Forum Founding Board Member and former Trump Administration Senior White House Advisor at the U.S. Department of State.”

The European Commission recently handed down their first set of fines under the DMA – $570 million against Apple and nearly $230 million against Meta. But, Apple and Meta are punching back, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is demanding the EU scrap its overall ‘unfair’ regulatory shakedown.

Make no mistake, the EU is hard at work in its efforts to double down on DMA and in turn undermine American businesses. Fortunately, the Trump Administration, while working to hammer out trade deals that benefit all of America, is fighting back against the EU’s brazen crusade and is hard at work defending American companies from extortion.

2. 🗣️ VANCE TO EU: OPEN DOORS TO “MADE IN USA”

VP JD Vance used his recent appearance at the Munich Leaders Meeting hosted by the Munich Security Conference in Washington, DC, to urge EU leaders to open their doors to American companies.

“It seems like some of our European friends are less open for business if the people selling software and hardware are American firms. We think that’s inconsistent… there are a lot of great American companies that they can work with.”

He continued by saying: “I do still very much think that the United States and Europe are on the same team… European civilization and American civilization — European culture and American culture — are very much linked.”

Just earlier today, President Trump is working with the UK to create a new trade deal, with Administration officials like US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying the deal would bring in billions for American companies.

All this comes a few months after Vance’s remarks at the Paris AI Action Summit, where he called out how the European Union has fallen behind in tech development. He called this a “terrible mistake” that America “cannot accept,” and warned against the EU’s overregulation.

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board commented at the time saying:

“Economic and individual freedom support each other. Innovation, competitiveness and risk-taking are the natural partners of liberty, free speech and democracy. Europe should be the natural partner of the U.S. and a key link in the emerging American-led alignment. But Europe is divorced from reality.”

Because of our shared values, Europe and the US should be aligned. The UK is working to strengthen this alliance. Will the EU step up?

🇨🇳 EU BACKTRACKS ON CHINA TIES

The CCP is happy…

In an alarming move, the EU is watering down efforts to protect Europe’s most sensitive technologies from Chinese exploitation. POLITICO even admitted that their weak attempt to stop China “is being hollowed out from within.”

The European Commission originally proposed enforceable rules to scrutinize foreign investments that threaten our economic security. But now, Europe is backtracking. Instead of requiring member states to act, the new draft merely suggests they “take into consideration” whether a foreign investment poses a threat. That’s diplomatic speak for “do nothing.”

We also can’t forget that the EU’s European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) dropped an investigation in March into the CCP-backed tech company “Huaweigate,” despite clear evidence uncovered by Belgian authorities of bribery.

Why is the EU bending the knee?

Meanwhile, China continues its aggressive global strategy of buying influence and positioning itself as the gatekeeper of tomorrow’s digital world. And what does Europe do? It opens the door.

This isn’t just bad policy, it’s dangerous. The CCP doesn’t play by the rules. It uses foreign investment to gain market access and infiltrate key sectors, which allows them to gather intelligence and exert political leverage.

Every EU citizen should be alarmed. Security, innovation, and future prosperity are on the line. The European Union must stop compromising with authoritarian regimes and start understanding the stakes.