Teresa Ribera Visited the U.S. and No One Noticed

Jacob Parry and Laura Greenhalgh, reporting for Politico, one month ago:

The EU’s landmark tech regulations are a “success story” that are beginning to level the playing field between Silicon Valley’s giants and their digital competitors in Europe, said European Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera on Friday. [...]

Ribera’s comments come as Brussels prepares for a formal review of the DMA to determine what is working and where the law may need to be reformed. The regulation aims to prevent “gatekeeper” firms, including Apple, Alphabet and Meta, from using their dominant positions to stifle competition from smaller players.

The EU’s top antitrust official pushed back against criticism that enforcement has been too slow, arguing that the “rule of law” requires a methodical approach based on evidence and due process. [...]

Ribera recently returned from a diplomatic mission to Washington and Silicon Valley where she met with U.S. officials and tech executives. She said there is a surprising degree of alignment between European and American priorities, despite the differing political climates. In particular, Ribera highlighted a “consistent” dialogue with the U.S. Department of Justice under the current Trump administration.

Again, I only found this story because I went searching for news regarding Teresa Ribera and the DMA after taking note in an earlier post that things have been very quiet on this front for the last year. When Margrethe Vestager visited the U.S. and met with tech executives, it was news. There were press photos. Vestager drew attention to the meetings, and, of course, to herself.

It’s pretty telling that Ribera recently visited both Washington and Silicon Valley and it barely registered in the news. Ribera’s approach to the E.U. competition chief job might actually be focused on genuine competition and consumer welfare, not punishing U.S. companies for their success by weaponizing byzantine layers of bureaucracy that ultimately work against the interests of EU citizens and the stagnant EU economy.

★ Tuesday, 12 May 2026