Confirmed: the EU will not introduce network fees

Just in: the United States and the European Union have issued a joint statement on the EU-US Framework Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade. It took three weeks to align on the main issues following the meeting between US President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland.

On digital policy, a key point is network fees: the joint statement reaffirms what the White House previously published -  the EU confirms that it will not adopt or maintain network usage fees."

“The United States and the European Union commit to address unjustified digital trade barriers. In that respect, the European Union confirms that it will not adopt or maintain network usage fees. The United States and the European Union will not impose customs duties on electronic transmissions. The United States and the European Union intend to continue to support the multilateral moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions at the World Trade Organization and seek the adoption of a permanent multilateral commitment.”

This is an important win for European consumers and the digital ecosystem - proposals for network fees or a so-called ‘fair share’ have been circulating for some time. European consumer and civil society organizations have expressed criticism towards the idea of network fees/fair share before, so did EU Member States’ representatives back in December 2025. 

Although the details matter, it seems unlikely that the EU would risk its fragile trade relationship by introducing network fees through new ‘IP dispute resolution mechanisms’ in the upcoming Digital Networks Act — or at least we hope so.