The EU represents a vast market of (relatively) well-off and (relatively) informed consumers and businesses. While famously keen on having social safety nets,

The EU represents a vast market of (relatively) well-off and (relatively) informed consumers and businesses. While famously keen on having social safety nets, its politics is generally center-right and the economy cannot be described as anything else than a market economy. The unusual circumstances are that for a major and growing in importance sector (digital services) it is almost entirely relying on US companies for software and Asian companies for hardware. The result is that the EU is forced to either accept the abysmal regulatory standards of these other regions or try to throw its weight around and hope for the best. The positive end games are either US politicians growing up a spine and ensuring this vital sector is not strangled by oligopolies or the EU developing its own services (and fast). Neither is very likely, so grab you pop corn...