Meta and Apple are nearing agreements with the European Commission to resolve two antitrust cases, aiming to avoid escalating fines from Brussels. The companies are finalizing deals to modify business practices after receiving €700mn in fines in April for violating the EU’s Digital Markets Act, according to informed officials.
Barbara Moens for Financial Times:
The potential settlement comes as the EU’s digital rules continue to be a flashpoint between Brussels and US President Donald Trump. He has threatened to retaliate against countries that “discriminate” against US companies.
Apple already announced plans in June to change its App Store policies following the EU’s investigation into whether the iPhone maker’s rules prevented app developers from sending consumers to offers outside its platform.
“We did what we had to do to avoid the threat of future significant fines”, said Kyle Andeer, Apple’s chief compliance officer, in June.
The commission is also discussing potential changes with Apple in relation to another investigation into the iPhone maker on its new contractual terms for developers.
Throughout the process, Apple has accused the commission of moving the goalposts on what the company needs to do to comply with the EU’s digital rule book.
Apple said: “While we believe we are compliant, we appealed this decision because we believe it goes far beyond what the law requires.”
MacDailyNews Take: The EU remains a bloated, sad joke.
The European Union arose because the Europeans couldn’t compete on their own with the rest of the world, so they each lined up to surrender their national sovereignty, unique cultures, and dignity for an undemocratic, opaque, wasteful, bloated, bureaucratic quasi-governmental blob – and, even with the EU’s thumbs all over the scale, they still can’t compete. — MacDailyNews, March 4, 2024
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Fsck the EU
“The European Union arose because the Europeans couldn’t compete on their own with the rest of the world” EU citizen here, you have a fundamental wrong impression about the EU. The beginnings of the EU already started after the war as a peace process. Member countries still do have full sovereignty, with the exception of trade, competition and workforce – the EU sets minimum standards. In return, we get human rights, workers’ rights (max 48 hours/week, minimum of four weeks PAID annual leave, PAID sick leave), food & product safety standards, flight and travel compensation, personal data & privacy rights, free movement between 27 countries, and so much more. Is it perfect? No. But I take all of this any time…