Politics — Publications

Fighting for Democracy Amid the AI Race: Designing Tech Industrial Policy to Promote Democratic Economic Governance

Open Markets' Europe director, Max von Thun, and industrial policy program manager, AudreyStienon, discuss in Competition Policy International's TechREG Chronicle how AI policy narratives framed around the goal of "winning" a global race threaten to undermine the democratic values that this technology is supposed to help defend. Instead, von Thun and Stienon present a vision for an industrial strategy for AI centered on democratic governance as a means of protecting the public interest.

Project Syndicate - Europe Should Reject US-Style Competitiveness

Legal director Sandeep Vaheesan emphasizes that Europe doesn’t need to copy America’s model to be competitive; it should double down on strong competition policy to avoid the economic imbalances and harms baked into the US approach.

Op-EdsMiquel KendrickFebruary 9, 20262026, february 2026, Sandeep Vaheesan, Law, Europe, Politics, Secondary Feature

Tech Policy Press - Why Europe’s Resistance to Big Tech Matters for the Future of Democracy

CJL director Courtney Radsch argues that amid the failure to regulate its own tech firms, the U.S. must not be allowed to undermine European efforts to regain sovereignty over their information systems and resist domination by Big Tech.

Tech Policy Press - How Europe Can Expand Digital Trade to Challenge Big Tech’s Anti-Regulatory Push

Industrial policy program manager Audrey Stienon offers the analysis on Trump’s trade coercion amplifying Big Tech’s long-standing use of trade policy to erode national sovereignty and entrenches corporate power over global digital regulation.

Op-EdsOMI EuropeOctober 21, 2025october 2025, 2025, Europe, Trade & National Security, Politics, Audrey Stienon, Secondary Feature

New Policy Brief Warns: U.S. “Free Speech” Attacks Threaten Europe’s Sovereignty and Democracy

CJL director Dr. Courtney Radsch and Europe director Max von Thun author a brief arguing that dominant U.S. platforms such as Google, Meta and X wield unprecedented power to manipulate political discourse, censor individuals and organizations, and shape the flow of information across Europe, the United States and beyond. At the same time, and in coordination with these corporations, the current U.S. administration has launched an “unprecedented assault” on Europe’s right to regulate these corporations in the public interest.

Pro Market - The EU Must Revise Its Merger Guidelines To Strengthen Innovation, Security, and Democracy

Max von Thun, Europe Director at the Open Markets Institute, co-authored a piece with fellow Claire Lavin urging the European Commission to revise its merger guidelines. They argue that competition policy must look beyond prices to safeguard innovation, security, and democracy—ensuring a stronger and more resilient European Union.

Social Europe - Europe Is Fighting the Wrong Tech Battle — Here’s What It Should Do Instead

Europe director Max von Thun co-authors a piece to argue that Europe should focus on protecting democratic values and reinforcing competition laws, rather than pursuing deregulation that could further entrench the dominance of global tech giants.

Op-Eds, ArticlesOMI EuropeMay 6, 20252025, April 2025, Max von Thun, Europe, Technology & Power, Big Tech, Politics

Open Markets Signed Letter Submitted to UK Prime Minister

Open Markets Institute signed onto a letter expressing concerns that trade negotiations could undermine UK parliamentary sovereignty and democracy, particularly in relation to regulations like the Online Safety Act and the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act.

Tech Policy Press - Digital Markets Act Roundup: February 2025

Europe director Max von Thun advocates for stronger political leadership and unity to defend the EU’s digital rulebook against threats from the US administration.

Media CoverageOMI EuropeMarch 6, 20252025, Max von Thun, Europe, Politics, International Systems, March 2025

Open Markets Institute and Partners Press the EU to Hold Strong against Trump Threats to Protect Digital Sovereignty

Open Markets Institute’s Europe Director Max von Thun, in collaboration with partners European Policy Centre and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, has published a policy briefing urging European Union leaders to strengthen their resolve in tackling Big Tech despite increasing pressure from the new Trump administration and US tech billionaires.

Press Releases, ReportsOMI EuropeFebruary 28, 20252025, February 2025, Europe, Politics, Max von Thun, Primary Feature, Technology & Power

Le Grand Continent - After the Paris AI Summit, the Union must not fall into Trump's trap

Senior EU Fellow Cori Crider expressed how after the AI summit in Paris, Europe must avoid succumbing to Trump's influence and should assert its independence, rejecting appeasement toward the US and Big Tech, which threaten its political and economic sovereignty.

Op-Eds, ArticlesOMI EuropeFebruary 12, 2025Europe, Artificial intelligence, cori crider, Politics, Secondary Feature

EU Observer - How the EU should stand up to Trump's Tech Bros oligarchy

Europe director Max von Thun argues that the EU should resist US pressure to ease Big Tech regulations and instead strengthen its digital sovereignty for economic and security reasons.

Op-Eds, ArticlesOMI EuropeJanuary 21, 2025Europe, Politics, Max von Thun, 2025, January 2025, Secondary Feature

Wired - Europe’s Big Tech Hawks Brace for a Post-Biden Future

Europe director Max von Thun explains that under President Biden, the EU feels more empowered to regulate big tech aggressively, as the U.S. is pursuing similar antitrust measures, marking a shift from the cautious approach during prior administrations.

Media CoverageOMI EuropeOctober 30, 20242024, Max von Thun, Europe, Biden Administration, Politics, Antitrust Law

Report | AI in the Public Interest: Confronting the Monopoly Threat

The Open Markets Institute and the Center for Journalism and Liberty publish a report how just a handful of Big Tech companies – by exploiting existing monopoly power and aggressively co-opting other actors – have already positioned themselves to control the future of artificial intelligence and magnify many of the worst problems of the digital age.

The Times - Ignore the critics: new rules over Big Tech will hugely benefit the sector

Director of Europe & transatlantic partnerships Max von Thun talks about the advancement of new antimonopoly enforcements on Big Tech in the UK.

Op-Eds, ArticlesOMI EuropeMay 1, 20232023, April 2023, DOJ, Google, Politics, Antitrust Law, Europe, Max von Thun, Secondary Feature

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