The European Commission has defended its enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) against criticism from MEPs – who questioned whether Brussels can effectively rein in US Big Tech companies under growing political and legal pressure.
Speaking to the internal market committee on Tuesday (2 June), EU competition commissioner Teresa Ribera said the bloc would “not accept pressure into any course of action for geopolitical reasons” and pledged that enforcement of Brussels’ flagship digital competition law would continue regardless of external influence.
“We care about business, but we will not shy away from decisive enforcement when dialogue fails,” she told MEPs.
The DMA is designed to curb the market power of so-called ‘gatekeepers’, such as Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft.
The goal is to ensure fair access for smaller (often non-US) competitors and prevent closed-off online ecosystems, while giving users more choice and control over their data.
Ribera pointed to early success as evidence the legislation is working, citing easier switching from iPhone to Android, better interoperability between devices such as smart watches and phones, and the fact that users no longer need a Gmail account to access YouTube.
She also referred to data suggesting the user base of Firefox (a smaller open-source competitor to Google’s Chrome, primarily) has grown 113 percent since browser choice screens were introduced because of the DMA.
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