BRUSSELS — EU competition boss Teresa Ribera has defended the timing of the European Commission’s fines on Apple and Meta, waving off criticism that the penalties were delayed to avoid a further escalation of U.S. tariffs.
On Wednesday, Brussels slapped the U.S. tech giants with penalties in the hundreds of millions of euros for violating the bloc’s digital rulebook, despite President Donald Trump threatening retaliatory tariffs should fines be imposed.
“These are decisions that are not taken with passion,” but with “seriousness and evidence,” Ribera told POLITICO. “It’s law enforcement.”
The Commission has been under pressure to deliver the verdicts in recent weeks after an indicative end-March deadline was missed.
Neither Ribera nor digital chief Henna Virkkunen, who share responsibility for enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which sets the rules for how tech companies operate in the European market, were in Brussels today for the announcement.
Ribera, who was speaking from Mexico, where she is on a week-long institutional trip, said it wouldn’t have made sense to delay the decisions because of her travels.
“It was the right moment,” Ribera said, adding that today’s decisions show the Commission “is serious about the level playing field” and about giving a chance to companies and “those who would like to develop new business, innovators, users, and consumers.”
“I have felt that there were many people willing to rush, even when the procedures were not finalized yet … because of [pressure] to react against the announcements being made by the White House.” But, the commissioner said, “I think it is not fair.”
Apple faces a €500 million fine for breaching the regulation’s rules for app stores, while Meta drew a penalty of €200 million for its “pay or consent” advertising model, which requires that European Union users pay to access ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram.
Meta lashed out angrily at the decisions, calling them a “tariff” that creates a “handicap” on successful American companies. Apple claimed it was being “unfairly” targeted. Both said they will appeal the Commission’s decisions.
“I haven’t heard these companies complaining against the U.S. antitrust authorities,” Ribera said, even though they have “very similar approaches” to those of the EU to the new digital reality. “So I don’t know why they think that we Europeans should be a target in terms of complaints.”
The post Time was right for US big tech penalties, EU competition chief says appeared first on Politico.
