The European Union has refuted claims that it has halted actions against Apple and other American technology giants in light of expected pressure from the new US president.
The claims suggest that the EU is currently “reassessing” its antitrust investigations involving Apple, Meta, and Google, and that all decisions and penalties will be suspended until the assessment concludes …
According to reports, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg contacted the president-elect on Friday to voice concerns regarding fines related to antitrust violations and privacy breaches.
The Financial Times references anonymous EU sources in its report.
Brussels is reviewing its investigations of tech firms such as Apple, Meta, and Google, while these US companies appeal to president-elect Donald Trump for intervention against what they describe as excessive EU enforcement actions […]
All final decisions and potential penalties will be on hold during this review; however, the technical preparation for the cases will proceed, according to the officials.
One source described as “a senior EU diplomat” mentioned that political pressures have created a lot of uncertainty regarding the future of these investigations.
Apple is among the companies that have already faced EU regulations requiring it to allow third-party app stores and is currently under scrutiny to provide other entities with increased access to features whose use is restricted to Apple devices.
This involves the fast-pairing technology limited to AirPods, with other manufacturers seeking access for their headphones and additional Bluetooth devices. Meta is interested in this feature for its Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses.
Nevertheless, the EU has denied the claims, stating that “no such review is occurring” and clarifying that these are merely regular meetings to evaluate the overall status of ongoing investigations.
DMN’s Take
The likelihood of the EU yielding to US political pressure seems highly improbable.
However, the notion of a review is certainly plausible. With both Margrethe Vestager and Thierry Breton having stepped down from the Commission responsible for proposing EU policies to parliament, known for their strong stances on competition law, a change in leadership could indeed lead to a reconsideration of ongoing investigations and future strategies.
The most probable scenario is that a review began as soon as Vestager left, without any direct ties to the US administration change.
Photo: Apple
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