The American Tech giants and the European Union will be able to exchange more directly in the future, on regulatory issues in particular.
To appease two blocks in tension in a fairly dense regulatory context, the European Union and Silicon Valley had the good idea to open a kind of embassy, reveals Politicowhich from the start of the school year will allow the giants Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon and other Big Tech players to discuss the evolution of European digital policy more directly.
A European digital ambassador in Silicon Valley
The European Union will open its new Californian office on 1er September 2022, near San Francisco. At its head, we will find Gerard de Graaf, well known to the European Commission, who at 60 will become the very first European technology ambassador in California.
Until now, he was attached to DG Connect in Brussels, fighting against lobbying by digital giants and participating in the development of certain regulatory texts. Gerard de Graaf will be attached, from Silicon Valley, to the diplomatic department of the European Union, which takes this initiative very seriously.
It should not be forgotten that the European Union recently adopted the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA). These two texts will help, from their entry into force scheduled for next year, to shape the future of digital regulation, in particular allowing better moderation of violent and hateful content. They also aim to establish a more effective fight against abuse of a dominant position and anti-competitive practices going against the interests of businesses and consumers, and greater penalties in the event of breach(es).
A buffer role to spare the goat and the cabbage
If the texts will indeed come into force, details are still to be settled and a negotiation that is both cordial and constructive must be conducted between the major American technological players and the European authorities. Double meaning of course. This will be the main mission of the Californian office of Gerard de Graaf, which should not be underestimated. De Graaf had a very important influence in the birth of the latest regulations, and he has extensive experience in the American market, mastering perfectly the codes of electronic and digital commerce.
We now also know that this is not the only link between the North American bloc and the European zone, but also the link that unites the EU to the rest of the world. Major countries such as Japan, India and Brazil have modeled their latest digital regulations on those of the Old Continent, drawing inspiration from the GDPR in particular. The stakes are therefore considerable.
The European Union could thus use this office as a bridge between fair regulations and a good understanding with the digital giants, which in the eyes of the leaders of the area remain major creators of jobs and wealth.
Source : Politico
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