Trump lashes out at EU over record penalty for Google
DONALD TRUMP hinted that he may block trade routes with Europe after its lawmakers hit Google with a record £3.9bn fine over its smartphone business.
The US president lashed out on Twitter at the European Union, which handed the penalty to the search giant over its Android operating system.
“I told you so! The European Union just slapped a five billion dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the US, but not for long,” he wrote on the social network.
It comes after he called the bloc a “foe” of the US due to “what they do to us in trade”. Relations have hit a low point amid concerns over Mr Trump’s nostalgia for the world order post the Second World War, and his meeting with Vladimir Putin. His decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement and
‘We will continue to react tit-for-tat to the provocations that might be thrown at us’
Iran nuclear deal have done little to build friendships in Brussels.
Despite this, Jean-claude Juncker, the European Commission president, said he was “upbeat and relaxed” ahead of a trip to Washington next week to discuss strained trade relations.
“We will continue to react tit-for-tat to the provocations that might be thrown at us,” said Mr Juncker.
Google was handed a record antitrust fine on Wednesday and ordered to change the way it puts search and web browser apps on to Android mobile devices.
The commission said that it had until October to stop pushing its own services by pre-installing its apps on Android smartphones, a practice it described as “illegal” and anti-competitive. The company faces daily fines of 5pc of revenue if it does not obey.
It is the second multi-billion fine handed out in just over a year, provoking outrage in the industry. Sundar Pichai, Google’s chief executive, warned that the decision “sends a troubling signal” and may lead to the company charging for its Android software.
Apple and Amazon have also found themselves in the firing line and have been handed hefty back tax bills.