Exclusive | EU expected to press ahead with massive fines on US Big Tech despite Trumps tariff pause: sources

The European Union is expected to move ahead with plans to slap fines on US Big Tech giants – even as President Trump pressed pause on a Transatlantic trade war, The Post has learned.Officials at the 27-nation trade bloc could unveil punitive sums levied against Meta and Apple for alleged antitrust behavior in the coming days, although the timing is fluid and could change based on developments, sources familiar with the matter told The Post.On Wednesday afternoon, Trump made a surprise U-turn on his so-called “reciprocal tariffs” that he revealed on April 2, declaring a 90-day pause on the punishing taxes.White House insiders said the delay applies to the EU, which had faced a 20% levy on all exports to the US.Nevertheless, senior EU officials told The Post they would not cut special deals with the US on tech, even if it would stave off the looming threat of massive tariffs on European products.“This legal assessment and tariffs are two completely separate processes,” said one source close to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.As The Post exclusively reported last month, sources close to the situation expected Meta’s fine to reach hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more than $1 billion.The potential size of a fine against Apple remains a question mark ahead of the EU’s announcement.

However, sources familiar with the situation insist the fines are likely to be modest as Brussels looks to avoid Trump’s ire in the middle of the sensitive trade talks.One senior European Commission source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, insisted Trump’s 90-day pause would not sway EU regulators.“The DMA is a law that’s in place, and we need to enforce it.We have it to protect our consumers, and it applies to all companies,” the official said.Earlier this week, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro raised hackles over “the use of lawfare in places like the EU to target America’s largest tech firms” in an op-ed in the Financi...