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There appear to be no limits to the arrogance of the EU and Thierry Breton, its Digital Commissar. Announcing his visit to Silicon Valley to check on Big Tech’s compliance preparations with the Digital Services Act, he declared in the manner of King Louis XIV: 'I am the enforcer. I represent the law, which is the will of the state and the people'.
The EU’s technocratic Sun King is right in one respect. He is an enforcer. With access to the Single Market as a weapon, Bretton and the EU can force others to play by their rules. He may represent the law and the will of the state but not the people. No European citizen has voted for him or the DSA. The Divine Right of the unelected EU Commission to regulate other people’s technology disguises the uncomfortable truth that Europe has no Big Tech. Instead of this arrogance, the EU should be more honest and more humble and address the difficult task of developing its technological sovereignty.
As our report states: it's easier to referee outcomes than create them. But referees do not win football matches! See our Digital Briefing
