The\u00a0Trump\u00a0administration has for months criticized the EU\u2019s digital rulebook \u2014 claiming that the\u00a0Digital Services Act<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Digital Markets Act<\/a>, respectively, censor American citizens and unfairly target U.S. companies. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n France has long been at the forefront of European calls to take a tougher line against Trump on trade. <\/p>\n However, a majority of EU countries lacks the appetite to launch a full-scale trade war, leading Brussels so far to refrain from imposing any tariff countermeasures or activating its so-called trade bazooka, the Anti-Coercion Instrument<\/a>. This could, with the support of most member countries, be used to restrict the intellectual property rights of U.S. tech giants or bar them from investing in the EU.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the height of recent transatlantic trade tensions<\/a>, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that \u201call instruments are on the table\u201d to respond to Trump, but she then shied away from taking a hard line to keep the U.S. president engaged in efforts to end the war in Ukraine. \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/13215781-1024x683.jpg\")
At the height of recent transatlantic trade tensions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that \u201call instruments are on the table.\u201d | Pool Photo by Mahesh Kumar via EPA<\/p>\n