BRUSSELS ― The European Commission is “not surprised” Apple demanded the EU scrap its law that regulates tech companies because the U.S. giant has challenged it every step of the way, a spokesperson said.
“Apple has simply contested every little bit of the DMA [Digital Markets Act] since its entry into application,” said Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier. “This undermines the company’s narrative of wanting to be fully cooperative with the Commission.”
On Wednesday, Apple published a statement calling on Brussels to repeal the DMA, arguing that “a more appropriate fit for purpose legislative instrument” should be implemented instead.
The tech company was slapped with a €500 million fine by the Commission in April.
“And that’s not all, there is another ongoing case where, again, all options remain on the table,” Regnier said.
He said Apple had snubbed the Commission’s efforts to engage in positive talks to help them comply with the DMA.
“Results of this positive engagement? After two months, Apple came back and asked us to scrap everything,” he said, adding: “We of course fully get companies want to defend their profits at all costs, but that’s not what the DMA is about.”
U.S. president Donald Trump has stated he will slap tariffs on countries with digital rules he deemed to be discriminatory to American companies.
The Trump administration and some of its tech allies have repeatedly attacked the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a sister law to the DMA which regulates social media platforms, accusing the bloc of censorship and claiming the law would impose costs on U.S. companies.A spokesperson for Apple referred POLITICO to its statement published on Wednesday, which said that the company wants “our users in Europe to enjoy the same innovations at the same time as everyone else, and we’re fighting to make that possible — even when the DMA slows us down.”
“The DMA means the list of delayed features in the EU will probably get longer. And our EU users’ experience on Apple products will fall further behind.”
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