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EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager will not run for a third term, according to the European Commission. Financial Times.
Vestager served as Europe’s top antitrust regulator for a decade, during which she handed down landmark judgments and issued record fines to tech giants such as Google, Apple and Amazon. She enforced the Digital Markets Act and made antitrust rulings in 2023, which earned her both praise and criticism.
The 56-year-old executive witnessed Google facing a total of 8.25 billion euros in antitrust fines and was called the EU’s “tax lady” by former US President Donald Trump. In 2018, Google was fined 4 billion euros for forcing Android device manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome, the largest fine in EU antitrust history.
During her first two terms, Vestager also clashed with Meta, Qualcomm, Alstom and Siemens – the latter two Prevent them from merging. Qualcomm Fined 997 million euros Abusing its dominant market position in baseband chipsets.
In 2016, she ordered Apple to pay €14.3 billion to Ireland after it was found to have illegally received tax benefits for more than a decade, but the order was overturned by the EU General Court in 2020. Apple CEO Tim Cook called the fine “complete political nonsense.”
However, when DMA specifies Seven “gatekeeper” organizationsForce big companies to make real changes. For example, in March this year, Google removed some search widgets, such as Google Flights, to allow more access to individual businesses. Response to DMA ruling.
It also added new settings for choosing how data is shared between different Google services, and so-called “choice screens” for Android and Chrome to encourage users to select their preferred search engine or browser.
While Vestager is popular for her tough stance on antitrust issues, her popularity has waned recently after a series of legal challenges to her rulings, including one against TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. Opposes designation as gatekeeper.
Her popularity in Brussels fell further when French President Emmanuel Macron blocked her from becoming president of the European Investment Bank. A lawmaker from Macron’s Ennahda party told Politico To put it bluntly: “Not Vestager!” Moreover, in 2022, her Social Liberal Party lost its place in the Danish coalition government.
The ruling Social Democrats will nominate Vestager’s successor as EU competition commissioner in the autumn and are expected to pick one of three: Belgian commissioner Didier Reynders, Dutch commissioner Wopke Hoekstra or French commissioner Thierry Breton, the Financial Times reported.
Notable DMA rulings under Vestager
On June 24, Apple became First tech giant to be formally charged by the European Commission Violation of the Digital Markets Act.
The Commission found that Apple has three sets of business rules that ultimately prevent iOS app developers from directing users to third-party purchasing options. This violates the DMA, which states that developers should be able to easily and free of charge direct customers to purchasing options outside the App Store.
Then, on July 1, the committee ruled that a second organization, Meta Failure to comply Competition with DMA. Its “pay or consent” advertising model, where users who subscribe to Instagram or Facebook can opt out of targeted ads, does not provide the same service as paid ads if users choose to subscribe. It also does not “allow users to exercise their right to freely consent to the combination of their personal data”.
Investigation of these decisions Opening at the end of March.
Alphabet also came under scrutiny at the time for the way it presents Google search results, as they could direct customers back to Google services such as shopping, flights or hotels. Google has temporarily removed its flight module Search results have changed since the DMA came into effect in early March.
Apple A series of actions in January Complying with the DMA included changing its payment system for app sellers in the EU and giving up its App Store control over iOS app distribution in the EU. It also began prompting iOS users in the EU to select a preferred browser instead of defaulting to Safari. Fine of 1.84 billion euros In March this year, the US government announced anti-manipulation regulations on streaming music apps.
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