Brussels

Donald Trump ordered a Section 301 trade investigation into EU digital rules on 24 July, a day after the Commission fined Google, and threatened tariffs. Coverage named Nokia, Airbus and Volkswagen as possible targets.

The probe had produced no formal filing by 4 August, but the pressure moved onto paper on 14 September. The US Trade Representative opened consultation for its 2027 National Trade Estimate report, naming the EU among markets to be assessed for digital trade barriers; the window closes on 29 October. For Brussels, every enforcement decision against a US platform now carries a dated trade cost.

the Commission ordered Google on 16 July to open 11 Android features to rival AI providers for free and to share anonymised Search ranking data with competing engines from January 2027. A week later, on 23 July, it fined Google €890m under the Digital Markets Act: €460m for favouring its own results in Search and €430m for blocking cheaper Play Store offers.

The fine had waited months for Ursula von der Leyen's signature. On 2 July the EU's top court had already upheld the Commission's older €4.1bn Android fine, closing an eight-year case. By 4 August Google had filed no appeal against the new penalty.

The AI Omnibus took effect on 27 July and put AI features built into large platforms and search engines under the AI Office, the same Brussels regulator that oversees the underlying models. It closed a gap platforms could have used to argue their features fell outside the model's duties.

the Commission could fine large model providers from 2 August. Yet when its own register of national AI Act authorities refreshed on 7 September, six of 27 member states still named none: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia. Enforcement on the ground therefore still depends on capitals that have not yet designated a regulator.