An EU flag with the App Store logo
The European Union denies that it has been holding off on fining firms including Apple and Meta because of concerns of reprisals from Trump.
Reports began in January 2025 that the European Union and the European Commission were holding off on fines and rulings as they waited to see the impact of the Trump administration. Then more recently, it was specifically claimed that a decision to announce fines had been delayed at the last moment.
That delay was said to be in order to avoid announcing fines while officials from various EU member states were meeting with Trump to negotiate on tariffs. According to Politico, the EU has now publicly stated that it will enforce its Digital Markets Act (DMA) on any infringing company, whether in the US or not.
“The rules voted by our co-legislators must be enforced,” wrote Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in formal replies to questions about the EU’s plans. “That’s why we’ve opened cases against TikTok, X, Apple, Meta just to name a few.”
“We apply the rules fairly, proportionally, and without bias,” she continued. “We don’t care where a company’s from and who’s running it. We care about protecting people.”
Alongside claims of deliberate delays in its rulings, the EU has separately been reported to be drastically scaling down the amount of fines it will impose. The DMA allows for fines of up to 10% of a company’s global annual turnover, which would equate to billions of dollars for Apple.
Now, it’s been claimed that when fines do come, they will instead be minimal ones. Whether this is due to the new US/EU trade pressures over tariffs, there is also the fact that key EU roles have recently changed hands.
The new leaders of the European Commission have been reported to be more focused on the specifics of complying with the DMA, rather than necessarily imposing the maximum fines it could.
What happens next
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s written comments on the accusations of delays, do not say when the EC will enforce its decisions. So it remains to be seen when there will be fines, as well as what amounts they will be.
The EU has put into law regulations aimed at preventing abuse by Big Tech firms, even as most other countries and territories are still discussing the issues. However, the line about not caring where a company is from has not previously held water.
Specifically, the European Union has repeatedly taken the side of EU-based Spotify against Apple Music. Despite Spotify have more than double the subscribers, it’s Apple Music that the EU has fined for alleged abuse of its dominant position.