Brussels temporarily halted investigation against Elon Musk's X amid trade talks with US
Kyiv • UNN
The European Commission has temporarily suspended its investigation into the social network X for violating digital transparency rules. This decision is related to trade negotiations between the EU and the US to avoid escalating tensions with Washington.
The European Commission has suspended its investigation into the social network X for violating digital transparency rules, in view of trade negotiations with the US administration. Officially, the investigation is ongoing, but sources in Brussels admit that the final decision is being delayed so as not to escalate tensions with Washington, UNN writes with reference to Financial Times.
The European Commission has suspended one of its investigations into Elon Musk's company X for violating the bloc's digital transparency rules, as it seeks to conclude trade negotiations with the US.
Brussels was expected to conclude its investigation into the social media platform before the EU's summer break but will miss that deadline
They noted that a decision would likely be made after "clarity emerges in the trade negotiations between the EU and the US."
It all depends on the situation
According to Brussels officials, the ongoing negotiations make all US-related decisions "particularly politically sensitive, as no one wants to offend Trump and escalate transatlantic trade conflicts."
Addition
The European Union is conducting several investigations against the social network X under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which obliges large online platforms to carefully monitor content on their resources.
These rules have become a source of tension between Brussels and large American technology companies, which enjoy the support of the Donald Trump administration.
The US believes that the EU is biased in persecuting their firms and restricting freedom of speech, which the MAGA movement actively defends. Last year, European regulators found that the X platform likely violated DSA rules due to a confusing interface and lack of transparency in data access.
For such violations, the EU has the right to impose fines of up to 6% of the company's global annual revenue, although sanctions are expected to be less severe.
In parallel, the European Commission, which is responsible for trade, has been negotiating a new trade agreement with the US since April. This began after the American side introduced 20% tariffs on European goods, which were later temporarily reduced to 10%.
However, Trump recently stated that tariffs would increase to 30% from August 1 if no progress was made.
Despite political pressure, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the EU has no intention of changing its digital rules. In April, Brussels already fined Apple and Meta 700 million euros for violating antitrust law.