From massive to modest fines, Apple and Meta were expected to be punished for DMA violations in the EU this week, as Mark Zuckerberg’s company had already been notified about it. However, to avoid a conflict with the Trump administration during a new trade deal between Europe and the US, the European Commission delayed this announcement.
This is according to The Wall Street Journal. People familiar with the matter have stated that it’s unclear how long the delay might last, but the European Commission will eventually announce the fines.
However, with a 90-day pause on some tariffs and the possible new agreement between the EU and the US, the European Commission decided not to target American companies at this moment.
When asked about the cases, a spokesman said, “We’re currently working on the adoption of final decisions in the short term.”
That said, the fines may be modest, but the DMA has provisions that allow the EU to impose more massive penalties. Companies such as Apple and Meta are at risk of paying as much as 10% of their global annual sales for violations.
However, the EU wants companies to comply with the law rather than imposing big fines. That’s one explanation for the modest fines that could become official soon. Also, the duration of the alleged violation has been rather short, considering that the DMA came into law around a year ago.
The current geopolitical climate may be another reason. The Trump administration threatened more tariffs against countries that fine US companies.
It’s unclear what DMA violations the EU has found and how much it plans to fine Apple and Meta. The Commission has previously said it would investigate big tech companies for the changes they made to their services under the DMA requirements. Apple has been one clear target for the EU, especially due to the App Store controversies, which the DMA keeps trying to open up to third-party developers.
Asked about the possible fines, an Apple spokesperson told the WSJ that “developers who use the App Store benefit from Apple’s proprietary technology and other tools.”
