The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare how critical digitalplatforms are to the functioning of our economy. Big Techcompanies are likely going to emerge stronger from theCOVID-19 emergency, due to the massive surge in demand forpublic, retail and corporate digital services. This megatrendhas consolidated the dominant market position of digitalmultinationals – almost all of them from the US – in the EUmarkets, raising critical questions ranging from the EU’sambition for technological sovereignty to the much moreurgent issue of how Big Tech’s profits should be taxed. The“digital tax” issue – already the source of a lively internationaldebate before COVID-19 – has gained in prominence as itwould be an important instrument for governments in direneed of raising money to finance the post-pandemic economicrecovery. With the digital tax included the Next Generation EUrecovery fund presented by the European Commission, the EUis expected to further consolidate its global leadership in techregulations. However, European regulatory activism couldalso raise barriers to transatlantic trade and investments, thusproducing new tensions with the US.