European ImperialismOctober 31, 2007; Page A20
Microsoft waved the white flag this month by dropping all appeals of the European Union's 2004 ruling against the software giant. The episode shows that Europe now writes the rules for global business across the board -- unapologetically to the benefit of its own industry. American companies are learning they have little choice but to obey.
...
The result is a quiet but concerted war on non-European commerce, and especially on U.S. companies. Antitrust policy in Brussels is a battlefield, particularly for high-tech firms. Mario Monti, the former EU competition czar who issued the ruling against Microsoft's software "bundling," told an Italian newspaper last month that putting such U.S. giants in their place was "the true strength of a united Europe." His successor, Neelie Kroes, celebrated a court decision upholding that decision by musing about how low she'd like Microsoft's market share to fall. Next in her sights are Intel, Qualcomm, Apple and Google, among others.
...
The larger theme here is that unelected officials in Brussels, and protectionist politicians in EU capitals, are using their regulatory power as a tool of economic nationalism. Under the cover of some nice-sounding social goals, they are harming U.S. companies and reducing commercial freedom. This is a growing threat to U.S. prosperity, and American politicians and regulators had better wake up to it.
