EU digital chief to US: ‘We will not be lectured’

Günther Oettinger said European digital regulatory plans are not protectionist.

Günther Oettinger, the European Commissioner for digital economy and society, brought a double-edged message to Washington and Silicon Valley this week: European digital regulatory plans are not protectionist — and don’t even think about telling us what do.

Speaking at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies Thursday — just as Pope Francis ended his address to a joint session of Congress across town — Oettinger pushed back on widespread concerns that efforts to create a “digital single market” on the Continent will create new regulatory hurdles for U.S. tech companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon.

The potential regulatory effort “is not about Fortress Europe,” he said, adding that Europe needs a level playing field for digital companies, including European ones trying to find their footing in a fast-changing economy. He stressed that European firms are dealing with the “challenge of rapid transition.”

And Oettinger warned against believing charges of anti-American protectionism. “Don’t fall into that trap,” he said.

Yet he quickly turned less conciliatory. “We will not be lectured. On this I want to be quite clear.”

In addition to the digital single market plans, Google and other U.S. tech firms are facing antitrust investigations over concerns about anti-competitive behavior in Europe.

President Barack Obama said earlier this year, in an interview with Re/code, that “sometimes [European] vendors — their service providers — who can’t compete with ours, are essentially trying to set up some roadblocks for our companies to operate effectively there.”

Asked by POLITICO about Obama’s comments, Oettinger was a bit more diplomatic. “It is not my place to criticize President Obama. He is a president and a politician and no doubt the digital sector is really relevant and important for the economic development for growth and for jobs in your country. More important than in Europe,” Oettinger said. “So to be near to his OTTs [over-the-top technologies], I think is acceptable.”

“On the other hand,” he said, our regulatory effort “is not against anybody.”

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