The EU Commission plans to conclude a large portion of the investigations concerning potential breaches of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) against major US tech conglomerates as early as this summer. Included among the companies facing scrutiny are Apple, Google, and Meta. According to a report from the “Handelsblatt”, these companies risk receiving multi-million fines.
These investigations represent the first major cases the Commission has initiated under the DMA since Spring 2024. The core of these proceedings revolves around whether the large tech companies are exploiting their market power and restricting access to digital markets, focusing specifically on issues such as interoperability, the opening of app stores, and self-preferencing. If the companies fail to comply with the DMA’s requirements, the Commission can impose penalties of up to ten percent of their global annual revenue.
Following the completion of these procedures, the Commission intends to shift its focus, concentrating in the future on regulating cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Designation processes are currently underway for Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure regarding these new areas. The EU Commission stated in response to inquiry that it would not comment on ongoing proceedings.
