US technology companies that do not like the fines imposed under European digital rules can leave the European market, France’s economy minister said.
“Digital regulation in Europe is simply non-negotiable,” Roland Lescure, France’s minister for the economy and digital sovereignty, said on France Inter radio yesterday as tensions rise between Brussels and Washington over online regulation.
"La régulation du numérique en Europe est non négociable."
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Ministre de l’Économie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté industrielle, énergétique et numérique, Roland Lescure est au micro de @Ben_Duhamel dans #LaGrandeMatinale. pic.twitter.com/HJ10SRAUwf
— France Inter (@franceinter) January 15, 2026
“In Europe, racism and antisemitism on social media are banned. Child sexual abuse on social networks is banned. Drug trafficking on social media is banned,” he added.
Access to social media for minors would also soon be banned, at least in France, he said.
Foreign interference online was also unacceptable, he added.
“The European Union will not bow,” Lescure said, while acknowledging that authorities needed to “react faster” and “be firmer”.
His comments come amid a sharp escalation in transatlantic tensions over the EU’s digital regulatory framework, which Washington argues disproportionately targets US technology and services companies.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the EU’s enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which impose strict obligations on large online platforms and companies designated as “gatekeepers”.
Earlier in January, the EU announced a €120 million fine against Elon Musk-owned social media platform X for breaching transparency obligations under the DSA, a move that triggered a strong reaction in Washington.
US Vice President JD Vance described the investigation into X as “garbage”, accusing Brussels of attacking US free speech.
Lescure was speaking after returning from a meeting held in Washington with his G7 counterparts.
He said he had decided to attend the gathering because he wanted to have a “frank discussion” with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who initiated the talks, to address the “difficult” issue of digital regulation.
“He told me he doesn’t like fines,” Lescure said. “I told him that if they don’t like fines, they can either leave Europe or respect the law.”
The fines relate to EU digital legislation governing large online platforms and their obligations in the European market.
In December, the European Commission fined X around €140 million, saying the platform’s “deceptive design”, including its blue verification checkmark, breached the DSA. Musk called the fine “crazy”.
Later that month, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer threatened European technology companies including SAP, Spotify and French artificial intelligence firm Mistral with “fees or restrictions” if the EU did not step back from regulatory action against American companies.
“We had a fairly frank discussion on this,” Lescure said.
“It is a real, fundamental disagreement.”
