The sanctions in which the European Commission was preparing to explain the technology giants Apple and Meta was postponed to a later date with an unexpected decision. He pointed out that the commission’s decision to postpone the postponement of the US before the new trade talks. This development gave new question marks as to whether the decision processes were intertwined with the political agenda. Some members from the European Parliament expressed their doubts about the Commission’s will to make independent decisions.
Allegedly; The Commission had planned to announce the sanctions on Tuesday (April 16th). It is even suggested that this date has been reported to at least one technology company. However, this plan was withdrawn just before the trade commissioner Maroš šefčovič’s contacts with US officials in Vascan. The talks were the first face -to -face contact after the customs tariffs suspended during the Donald Trump period.
It is discussed whether the decisions about Apple and Meta have developed independently of the political agenda
According to the commission spokesman, technical studies have been completed and the files have come to the decision stage. However, there has not yet been any information about the date of the final statement. Sözcü said that the work continues to announce the decisions in the short term. However, there is no satisfactory explanation in the European public about why this process has been postponed.
These investigations faced by Apple and Meta are based on the Digital Markets Law, which came into force in March 2024. Meta was under the spotlight due to the fact that users the right to get out of personalized ads while demanding a fee in return. Apple is the focus of criticism for limiting developers’ directing to non -application payment systems. It was examined in detail by the commission that both companies have complied with the rules of competition in Europe.
Within the scope of the Digital Markets Law, it is possible to impose a fine of up to 10 percent of global annual income. However, it is stated that the fines will remain much lower in this event and that the main effect will be felt with the stop orders. Such orders can directly affect the way companies do business. In this respect, the structural effects of the decisions are discussed rather than the material dimension.
Such investigations carried out by the European Commission against major American technology companies have been on the agenda for a long time. Previously, the Commission had initiated similar processes for companies like Apple, Amazon and Google. Nevertheless, the timing of postponement this time makes it controversial to what extent political reasons give direction to regulatory processes. Within the European Parliament, criticisms that the Commission cannot balance its contacts with the US is increasing.
Deputy Chairman of the Commission Teresa Ribera, said in a statement at the beginning of April that the decisions could not be announced in March. It was also remarkable that this statement was made only one day before the US decision to suspend the “Liberation Day” tariffs. The fact that the calendars were so close was not interpreted as a coincidence by some columnists in the European media. This has brought up the stance of regulatory institutions against international political developments.
It is known that decisions against Apple and Meta are not completely shelved and only postponed. However, it remains unclear when and in which framework the decisions will be announced to the public.