Bonnamy, C. & Perarnaud, C. (2023). Introduction. EU Digital Policies and Politics: Unpacking the European Approach to Regulate the “Digital”. Politique européenne, 81, 8-27. https://www.cairn.info/revue-politique-europeenne-2023-3-page-8.htm
In May 2022, the European Union’s (EU) attempts to regulate the global influence of tech giants were vividly illustrated when Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, engaged in a high-profile meeting with Elon Musk. The American entrepreneur, who had recently acquired the social media platform Twitter, now known as "X", met with Commissioner Breton to discuss the compatibility of the forthcoming Digital Services Act (DSA) with his own digital vision.
Fast forward to October 2023, the DSA had transformed from draft law to enforceable legislation. The European Commission launched an investigation against X for the dissemination of illegal content, provoking a response from Elon Musk, who threatened to deactivate the social media platform in Europe. This episode exemplifies what we term the EU’s "digital assertiveness" (Bendiek and Römer, 2019) on the global stage, emblematic of the evolving landscape of EU digital politics that this special issue seeks to explore.
