Germany's Merz on X fine: Obey our laws if you operate here

December 9, 2025 11:52 AM EST

FILE PHOTO: Teenagers pose for a photo while holding smartphones in front of a X logo in this illustration taken September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

BERLIN, Dec ⁠9 (Reuters) - Foreign ⁠companies, ‍including those from the United States, must ‍obey German and EU rules when ​they operate there, Germany's chancellor ​said on Tuesday, responding to U.S. 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 fine the European ⁠Commission levied on Elon Musk's social media platform for violating European transparency rules.

(Reporting by Thomas EscrittEditing by Gareth Jones)



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