Some of the world’s most powerful tech giants are based in the wider San Francisco Bay area in Northern California, including Apple, Google and Meta Platforms. All face tough restrictions and more careful monitoring from newly adopted EU rules, such as the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act.
According to a note from POLITICO, “The EU plans to open an office in San Francisco, oriented towards the U.S. West Coast, including Silicon Valley, with a focus on digital policies and technology,” one EU official told POLITICO.
The EU already has a delegation based in Washington, overseen by the bloc’s foreign affairs branch — the European External Action Service. The new office in San Francisco is set to operate under the “guidance” of the Washington team.
The EEAS could not provide more details on the planned timeline for the opening of the office. One official did confirm that “procedures are ongoing” to recruit staff.
One Brussels bureaucrat in the running for a West Coast top job is Gerard de Graaf, according to an EU official close to the matter. The veteran EU official leads the “digital economy and coordination” team in the European Commission’s DG Connect, which is responsible for developing the bloc’s digital policy.
De Graaf has some experience in the U.S. He served as trade counselor at the Commission’s delegation to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. from 1997 to 2001.
It’s not the first time European officials have tried to channel a direct line to Silicon Valley. In 2017, Denmark became the first country to set up shop in the Golden State, with career diplomat Casper Klynge being shipped off to California. The stint only lasted until March 2020, when Klynge took up a role as Microsoft’s vice president for European government affairs. Denmark’s global “tech ambassador” is now Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen, based in Switzerland, and the Silicon Valley office is deputized by Helena Mølgaard Hansen.
