EU Set to Fine Apple and Meta for Violating Digital Markets Act

The European Commission will soon impose a fine on Apple and Meta✴ Platforms in connection with the companies’ alleged violation of the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), Reuters writes, citing informed sources.

Image source: Guillaume Périgois/unsplash.com

Last year, the European Commission launched an investigation into Apple and Meta✴, as well as Google, for potential violations of the Digital Markets Act, which could result in a fine of up to 10 percent of their global annual sales. However, according to sources, the fine for the two companies, Apple and Meta✴, is likely to be small. According to Reuters sources, the fine will be small because the EU antitrust authority sees the goal in monitoring compliance with the law, rather than applying punitive measures in the form of sanctions. The European Commission’s decision was also influenced by the short period during which the violations were recorded – the law came into force in 2023.

Recall that US President Donald Trump, speaking via video link to participants of the World Economic Forum in Davos, criticized EU countries for the legal proceedings against a number of American companies, as well as the huge fines imposed on them, amounting to billions of dollars. Also, earlier this year it became known that the European Commission began reviewing all cases against Apple, Meta✴ and Google due to Trump’s rise to power.

A final decision on the fines has not yet been made, the sources said, and is expected to be announced this month.

In a compliance report published last week, Meta✴ noted that despite its compliance with EU law, regulators continue to make demands that go beyond the law. Meanwhile, Apple, which European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has said has a number of “very serious” compliance issues with EU law, noted in a compliance report to the DMA on March 7 that the changes introduced by the law pose significant risks to users and developers, as they provide opportunities for malware and fraud.