Apple, Meta, and other US tech companies have been in the firing line of the European Union for years now. Last month, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, even criticized the EU for targeting US tech giants. However, Trump’s remark doesn’t seem to have any effect on the EU, as the Union recently announced to continue investigation into Apple, Meta, and others.
The EU will announce the outcome of the Apple and Meta antitrust investigation in March
Speaking to Reutersin an exclusive interview, the EU’s antitrust chief, Teresa Ribera, recently said that the Union is open to negotiating with the White House or hearing any of its concerns. However, the EU won’t let it bully into changing laws approved by U.S. lawmakers.
Ribera says that the Union will stand firm to its “strengths and principles.” She further criticized Trump’s transactional approach to politics and said Brussels won’t transact on human rights or the unity of Europe. In the interview, Teresa Ribera also confirmed that the Union will announce the outcome of the investigation in March. She also added that the decisions “have been discussed with companies, developed, and based on evidence.”
For the uninitiated, back in March 2024, the EU launched an investigation into Apple, Google, and Meta over violations of the Digital Markert Acts (DMA). Speaking of Apple, the Union accused the Cupertino tech giant of violating laws in key three areas.
The first violation for which the EU launched an investigation into Apple was related to the App Store anti-steering rules. The second one was related to third-party browser support. Whereas, the third violation has to do with a new free structure for third-party app marketplaces. Previously, the EU accused Meta of pushing Marketplace on Facebook instead of allowing fair competition with other ad providers.
Apple maintains doing enough to comply with the EU’s laws
Let’s not forget that Apple has complied with the orders of the EU in certain areas. In August last year, Apple allowed EU users to sideload apps from an alternative app store. Only time will tell whether or not the EU will consider this effort.
The tech giant says that it has done enough to comply with the EU’s regulations. In fact, Apple published two separate whitepapers last year, one of which details the risks of third-party stores. The other one addresses Apple’s concerns about the EU’s interoperability laws.