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Brussels is reassessing its investigations into tech giants including Apple, Meta and Google, as US groups urge President-elect Donald Trump to intervene against what they characterize as excessive EU enforcement.
The review, which could lead to the European Commission being downsized or investigative powers changed, will cover all cases launched since March last year under EU digital markets regulations, according to two officials briefed on the matter. this movement.
It comes as the Brussels body begins a new five-year term amid growing pressure to handle landmark cases and as Trump prepares to return to the White House next week.
“It’s going to be a whole new ballgame with these tech oligarchs so close to Trump and using him to pressure us,” said a senior EU diplomat briefed on the review. “So much is up in the air right now.”
All rulings and potential fines will be suspended until the review is complete, but technical work on the cases will continue, officials said.
While some of the investigations under review are at an early stage, others are more advanced. Charges in an investigation into Google’s alleged favoritism of its app store were expected last year.
Two other EU officials said Brussels regulators were now waiting for political guidance to make final decisions on the Google, Apple and Meta cases.
The review comes as EU lawmakers call for the commission to hold its nerve against US pressure, while Silicon Valley bosses hail Trump’s return as the start of an era of easier tech regulation.
Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, called on the president-elect on Friday to stop Brussels from fining US tech companies, complaining that EU regulators had forced them to pay “more than 30 billion dollars” in fines over the past 20 years.
Zuckerberg, who recently announced plans to remove fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram — potentially in violation of EU rules — said he was convinced the incoming Trump administration wanted to protect American interests abroad.
The implications of Trump’s presidency were a factor in the review, one of the officials said, while insisting that his victory had not caused it.
The commission said it remained “fully committed to the effective implementation” of its rules. “There is no delay in finalizing open non-compliance cases, and especially not because of any political considerations,” an EU spokesman said.
The ongoing cases were “not yet ready at a technical level”, the spokesman added, arguing that such investigations took time due to their complexity, novelty and “the need to ensure that the commission’s decisions are legally binding”.
Before Trump’s victory, EU regulators had pursued aggressive action against the world’s biggest tech groups, passing a series of reforms aimed at opening up markets and establishing a regulatory framework for Big Tech.
Under the Digital Markets Act, a law that seeks to curb market abuse of large platforms, Brussels launched investigations last March into Apple, Google and Meta.
The commission has also been under pressure to use the full powers of the Digital Services Act, a set of rules aimed at policing online content, to curb tech billionaire Elon Musk’s growing influence in European affairs.
In addition to a similar investigation into Google owner Alphabet, the commission has looked into whether Apple has favored its own app store, as well as Facebook owner Meta’s use of personal data for advertising.
Brussels is also consulting Apple’s rivals on the technology group’s proposals to make its iOS operating system compatible with connected devices.
Denmark’s Margrethe Vestager and France’s Thierry Breton, who both took a tough stance against US tech companies, left the commission in November.
“Priorities can change,” said one. “Digital rules come from previous commission.”
EU lawmakers have called for regulators to stand firm. Stephanie Yon-Courtin, an MEP who was involved in drafting the technology rules, said EU investigations could not be sacrificed to avoid diplomatic fallout.
In a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, commission president Yon-Courtin said the DMA “cannot be held hostage”.
She added: “Please assure me that you and your cabinet are fully supporting the effective implementation of the DMA, without further delay.”
