The European Union has refuted claims that it has halted measures against Apple and other American technology firms in light of expected pressure from the new US president.
This report suggested that the EU is currently “reevaluating” its antitrust investigations targeting Apple, Meta, and Google, with all conclusions and fines being on hold during this evaluation period.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, reportedly reached out to the president-elect on Friday to express concerns over fines for antitrust and privacy violations imposed on their company.
The Financial Times cites sources within the EU for this information.
Brussels is reviewing its investigations into tech giants such as Apple, Meta, and Google, at a time when these US firms are urging president-elect Donald Trump to intervene against what they consider excessive EU enforcement […]
All decisions and potential penalties will be paused while this review takes place, though the technical work on these cases will continue, according to officials.
One source described as “a senior EU diplomat” indicated that political pressure has introduced considerable uncertainty regarding the direction of investigations.
Apple has already faced EU measures that require it to allow third-party app stores, and it is now facing calls to provide other companies with greater access to features that are currently restricted to Apple products.
These requests include access to the fast-pairing system exclusive to AirPods, with other firms looking to utilize this capability for their own headphones and Bluetooth devices. Meta is seeking to gain access for its Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses.
Nevertheless, the EU has denied the allegations, asserting that “no such review is currently underway,” while clarifying that it is merely conducting routine meetings to evaluate the general status of ongoing investigations.
DMN’s Take
The EU yielding to political pressure from the US seems highly improbable.
That said, the notion of a review isn’t far-fetched. Both Margrethe Vestager and Thierry Breton recently left the Commission responsible for proposing EU legislation to Parliament. Both were known for their strict stances on competition law, so a shift in leadership could potentially lead to a reevaluation of ongoing investigations and future initiatives.
The most plausible scenario is that a review may have started promptly after Vestager stepped down; however, this would not necessarily be linked to the change in the US administration.
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