Key diary dates
-
Monday 28 April
– Discussion between Competition Commissioner TeresaRibera and the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee regarding the Digital Markets Act. -
Tuesday, April 29 – Wednesday, April 30
– European People’s Party Congress in Valencia Spain. -
Wednesday 30 April
– Executive Vice-President Ribera delivers the opening speech at the annual Global Competition Law Centre conference in Brussels.
In spotlight
During their meeting with the European Commission’s competition head, TeresaRibera, later today, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will discuss the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This exchange may highlight an unsettling impression that Europe’s key digital legislation could be swayed by political pressures.
The European Union administration last week
ordered Apple and Meta
to pay a combined €700m in the first fines issued under the legislation: a €500m fine to Apple over its App Store, while Meta was slapped with a €200m penalty over how much choice users had to consent to data collection.
The technology companies quickly declared their intention to contest the ruling, with Meta alleging that the EU was “endeavoring to disadvantage prominent U.S.-based enterprises,” while Apple maintained it was facing “baseless targeting” and compelled to “hand over our innovations without charge.”
The timing of the decisions amid the US tariff onslaught was tricky since it has pulled the DMA into the ambit of the trade dispute.
Following his resurgence in political control and with support from leading technology executives, U.S. President Donald Trump has exerted pressure on the European Union regarding its digital policies, charging that the Commission is imposing taxes on American technological companies.
The European Union maintains that both the DMA and its companion regulation, the Digital Services Act (DSA), are neutral, unbiased policies that aren’t open to negotiation within the framework of discussions about trade tariffs. However, the U.S. administration has indicated that they see these measures as obstacles to trade that shouldn’t be excluded from such dialogues.
The fines imposed last week fell within the lower range of what the Commission can impose; nonetheless, the executive concluded investigations into two cases involving these firms. This matter appears poised to be highlighted by members of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection during today’s meeting with Teresa Ribera.
Loud opinions expressed by European Union policymakers regarding Ribera’s implementation of the DMA could bolster U.S. tech giants’ claims that the regulation unfairly targets them. These companies might closely monitor this discourse as a result.
Policy newsmakers
Tech and trade wars
Last week, the European Commission
fined tech giants
Apple and Meta face combined fines of €700 million for failing to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), potentially exacerbating ongoing trade disputes between Europe and the U.S. “Both Apple and Meta have failed to meet DMA requirements through actions that increase dependency on their respective platforms among business users and consumers,” stated EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera. In response, Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan argued, “The European Commission aims to undermine thriving American enterprises while permitting Chinese and European firms to function under less stringent regulations.” Both corporations are currently contesting these penalties.
