Who enforces that ban? It's a bit sad that the European countries will go along with the ban. If they were a bit more confident, they could say "nope". Or give out a directive that every passenger must be sternly reminded that Laptops are banned, and they the (EU) security personel shall turn a blind eye. Europe doesn't have to go along with every crazy idea, it is (at least still) stronger than it thinks.
The US could deny airlines which don't implement the ban entry into US airspace. The US could also forbid them from landing in the US. The US could also raid the planes after landing or arrest anyone carrying a laptop bag that wasn't checked in as luggage. The US could do any of these things and there would be nothing the EU could do about it because they all would happen outside EU jurisdiction.
As a European citizen I'm not sure what you believe the EU could practically do to prevent such a ban as long as it is only about flights into the US or within the US. It's literally none of our business.
They operate under international and super national air safety authority regulations.
EU law doesn't protect your rights to have an item on a flight, while they might not be banned in the EU when flying to the US they'll comply with FAA regulations.
On board internet for example is turned off on flights to china from the EU per Chinese regulations as soon as the flight approaches Chinese airspace.
Uhm that's not how it works. US can enforce a regulation saying that any aircraft entering US airspace cannot have laptops in the cabin and if an airline wants to fly to US they would have to comply with that regulation. FFA can easily impose fees and bans for airlines which don't comply.
Basically US has full control over their own airspace and can control what enters it - just like EU does with their own airspace. US cannot order EU airlines to do something, just like EU cannot order US airlines - but both can enforce restrictions on what enters their own airspaces.
Sure, but the EU or any country can make these terms unenforceable in their airports. Sign a law stating that circumventing such a ban cannot be punished for example.
You can also play a negotiation game. Ban something ridiculous in return. Then say "we lift our ban if you lift your ban, and reduce import tariffs on X by 2%". Then the other party says "we'll reduce it by 1%, and you agree to this line in this treaty, and we'll only ban laptops over 1.5 kg"... and you have a deal. That's how bilateral negotiations go. And I think many commenters believe that this laptop ban has at least partially economic motivations.
I wish the EU had more balls and self confidence when it came to such negotiations. This is very tangential, but I think Germany in the EU, the EU in the western world, and the west (North America+Europe) in the rest of the world don't realize how well off they are, and how much power they still have.
