Why EU’s norm startup is struggling
Why EU’s norm startup is struggling
In the world of technology geopolitics the last few weeks have been quite eventful. From China’s expansive export control measures to Trump threatening export controls on critical software, there is so much to analyse. Yet, amid all these developments, a major actor, the EU, is largely conspicuous by its absence barring a few exceptions.
From nearly mid-2010s to the early 2020s, it was rare to not find the EU in the middle of tech contestations. Caught between China’s manufacturing prowess and the US’s edge in innovation, the EU did what it could best given its small companies and wealthy customers — embracing the role of a norm entrepreneur. Thus, from the General Data Protection Regime to mandating common chargers for electronic devices, EU’s norm startup often had cross-border impacts. It is this firm belief in its normative power that the EU embarked on yet another ambitious project of regulating AI. But why don’t we hear as much about the EU AI Act as we did about the many other entrepreneurial things that the EU did in the tech space?
With Trump’s clinching presidency for the second time earlier this year, the EU has likely hit the ceiling of its normative approach.
The US Big Tech is working alongside Trump, and Trump is working alongside Trump. Their common objective? To resist and break the EU’s entrepreneurial spirit in the normative world.
Nothing represents this threat to EU better than Trump’s Truth Social post on 26 August 2025:
As the President of the United States, I will stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies. Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology. They also, outrageously, give a complete pass to China’s largest Tech Companies. This must end, and end NOW! With this TRUTH, I put all Countries with Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations, on notice that unless these discriminatory actions are removed, I, as President of the United States, will impose substantial additional Tariffs on that Country’s Exports to the U.S.A., and institute Export restrictions on our Highly Protected Technology and Chips. America, and American Technology Companies, are neither the “piggy bank” nor the “doormat” of the World any longer. Show respect to America and our amazing Tech Companies or, consider the consequences! Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Trump has exposed what was the underlying basis for the success of EU’s norm entrepreneurship — reluctant but continuing adherence by the US government and the Big Tech players to a set of comprehensive demands by the EU.
If the forces behind Trump’s ascendancy and the Big Tech’s confrontational approach are here to stay beyond the current US administration, EU’s normative startup would struggle to take off. Unless the EU couples its normative spirit with technological strengths at home.
The days of preaching to the world without first securing tech champions and asymmetric leverages are likely over.
It is not as if the EU is not aware of the fear of falling behind. According to Timo Seidl and Luuk Schmitz, this fear is motivating the EU to move towards market creation. Read more about it in the #xxviii edition of Beyond Citations.