Germany's Merz on X fine: Obey our laws if you operate here
Teenagers pose for a photo while holding smartphones in front of a X logo in this illustration taken Sept 11, 2025.
PHOTO: Reuters file
PUBLISHED ONDecember 10, 2025 2:14 AM
BERLIN — Foreign companies, including those from the United States, must obey German and EU rules when they operate there, Germany's chancellor said on Tuesday (Dec 9), responding to US President Donald Trump's criticism of a fine imposed on social media platform X.
"Just as European and German companies have to follow the rules in America, sometimes facing very draconian punishments, so American companies must accept our rules here, and if they don't, then there are possiblities for sanctioning them," Friedrich Merz told reporters.
"There are legal avenues for challenging (those sanctions), and they are available to all companies, European and American," he added.
Trump described on Monday as "nasty" the 120 million euro (S$180 million) fine the European Commission levied on Elon Musk's social media platform for violating European transparency rules.
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