Trump says US to launch Section 301 probe into EU fines on tech firms

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs and a possible Section 301 investigation into the European Union after Brussels fined Google $1 billion over antitrust violations, saying the bloc would "pay a very big price" for targeting U.S. technology firms. He called the penalties against Google and other American tech companies "highly unethical" and said the United States is not a "PIGGYBANK" for Europe. The European Commission imposed the penalty on Thursday, ruling that Google breached the Digital Markets Act by favoring its own shopping, travel and other services in search results and by preventing app developers from directing users to offers outside the Play Store. The commission split the fine roughly in half between the two violations and gave Google 60 days to change its practices or face periodic fines of up to 5% of its average daily turnover. The dispute adds new strain to U.S.-EU relations just as trade tensions had appeared to ease. Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, warned that Brussels' approach to American tech groups could undermine a trade deal struck in Turnberry, Scotland, last year that capped U.S. tariffs on European goods, while EU officials said they remain bound by their own laws. Trump said he could open a Section 301 probe, a U.S. mechanism for investigating unfair trade practices, though such a case could take months even if tariffs arrive sooner.