Competition
EU Court upholds Commission decision to designate TikTok parent as gatekeeper
Est. 3minThe EU Court of Justice upheld the European Commission’s decision to designate TikTok's parent company ByteDance as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act on Wednesday (17 July), dismissing all arguments presented by the company.
Apple opens NFC access, EU Commission takes on X
Est. 9minThe EU Commission legally bound Apple to committments to open its 'pay and tap' technology and opened up a front with Elon Musk's X.
Apple opens NFC technology access, dodges EU antitrust scrutiny
Est. 3minThe European Commission legally bound Apple to commitments on Thursday (11 July) addressing previous competition concerns over its refusal to grant rivals access to NFC technology for contactless payments.
OpenAI, Apple deal raises questions about enforcement of EU antitrust rules
Est. 4minChatGPT integration into Apple's operating service iOS later this year could trigger an update of EU's digital antitrust regulation by the European Commission, a spokesperson said.
Commission probes UAE state-owned acquisition of Czech telecoms operator
Est. 3minThe European Commission opened a new foreign subsidies investigation into a commercial acquisition that would see UAE state-owned Emirates Telecommunications Group Company (e&), be in 'sole control' of the European telecom operator PPF Telecom, according to a press release.
European startups call for a more integrated single market in declaration
Est. 4minAssociations of European startups called for more integration of the EU's single market to better support innovators in a political declaration.
Panasonic patents trust files claim against Xiaomi in Paris
Est. 3minThe 4G telecoms patents owner Sun Patents Trust has "summoned" Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi to a Paris court, according to a Wednesday (29 May) press release, and may be looking for witness testimony from the European telecommunications standardisation body.
European industrial giants condemn latest EU cybersecurity agency decision on cloud sovereignty
Est. 3minA group of Europe's 18 major industry players insist on cloud sovereignty requirements.
France, EU to take landmark decisions on cloud sovereignty requirements
Est. 4minFrench MPs and EU cybersecurity agency ENISA are expected to take landmark decisions on cloud cybersecurity on 10 and 15 April, respectively, amid concerns of espionage and fragmentation of the EU cloud market.
Deal on major digital bill: French lawmakers give in to EU Commission demands
Est. 5minFrench lawmakers reached a compromise on Tuesday (26 March) on a hard-fought all-encompassing digital bill, agreeing to water down provisions that would otherwise conflict with EU legislation, white putting sovereign cloud requirements into law.
Council strengthens call to make influencers accountable for their actions
Est. 3minThe Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU is taking a stronger position on the accountability of influencers for content shared online, according to a draft document dated 13 March and seen by Euractiv.
French MPs voice sovereignty, competition concerns after Microsoft-Mistral AI deal
Est. 5minAfter Mistral AI and Microsoft announced their strategic partnership on Monday (26 February), sparking an outcry from lawmakers in the European Parliament, French MPs have voiced concern over the partnership's impact on competition and sovereignty in the cloud sector.
EU probes Microsoft’s security software practices
Est. 2minThe European Commission is probing if Microsoft is preventing customers from relying on certain security software from its competitors, according to a document that regulators sent to at least one rival in January, seen by Reuters.
Orange-MásMóvil merger ‘approved with very good remedy’, says EU’s Vestager
Est. 4minThe European Commission accepted on Tuesday (20 February the €18.6 billion deal between Orange and MásMóvil in Spain, provided that spectrum bandwidths are divested to the Romanian mobile operator Digi.
Connectivity package: Commission opens consultation, commits to post-quantum cryptography recommendation
Est. 4minThe Commission announced a consultation on EU's telecom market, open until June and committed to a post-quantum cryptography recommendation, when presenting its connectivity package.
Ensuring competition in AI will also preserve democracy, experts say
Est. 5minWith artificial intelligence, focus on enforcing competition laws is vital and goes hand in hand with the preservation of democracy, industry experts said at a panel discussion in the European Parliament.
Amazon shuts down iRobot acquisition following EU regulators’ concerns
Est. 4minE-commerce giant Amazon has given up on its bid to acquire the smart vacuum cleaner manufacturer iRobot, following EU regulators' concerns about it possibly restricting competition in the product’s market.
EU Commission seeks feedback over Apple Pay’s commitments
Est. 4minThe European Commission shared commitments by Apple to allow third-party payments on Friday (19 January) and invited comments on them due to competition concerns over restricted access to the technology used for contactless payments on mobile devices.
Big Tech slammed by rivals for falling short of complying with EU’s Digital Markets Act
Est. 3minAs the deadline to comply with the EU’s Big Tech rulebook is fast approaching, the competitors of the designated gatekeepers are worried they are nowhere near satisfactory compliance.
Short-term rentals: EU court advisor reaffirms country of origin principle
Est. 3minA non-binding opinion of Polish advocate general Maciej Szpunar to the Court of Justice of the EU suggests reaffirming the country of origin principle on joined cases of the short-term rental industry.
Influential legal opinion sides with EU Commission’s €2.4 bn fine in Google Shopping case
Est. 3minThe Advocate General of the EU Court of Justice Juliane Kokott released its opinion on the Google Shopping case on Thursday (11 January), suggesting that the EU top court confirms the European Commission’s fine of €2.4 billion.
EU Commission to examine Microsoft-OpenAI partnership
Est. 5minThe European Commission announced on Tuesday (9 January) that it is examining the nature of the relationship between tech multinational Microsoft and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, as the recent ousting and reinstatement of the latter's CEO highlighted the companies' close connection.
Adobe cancels €18bn Figma acquisition over antitrust concerns
Est. 4minUS companies Adobe and Figma decided on Monday (18 December) to call off a €18 billion merger they had been foreseeing for 15 months following concerns from regulators in the EU, UK and US.
EU’s top court rules in favour of Amazon in €250m tax dispute
Est. 4minThe EU’s top court rejected on Thursday (14 December) a decision of the European Commission that, in 2017, ordered Amazon to pay back €250 million in unpaid taxes to Luxembourg.