In January, the EU initially held off on fines against tech giants as it waited to learn the impact of the incoming Trump administration. For now, the EU's plan appears to be business as usual. EU competition chief Teresa Ribera told Reuters that while the EU was willing to negotiate with the White House, it would not be tempted to change laws at the whim of U.S. policymakers.
"We need to stick to our strengths and our principles," she said in an interview on Monday. "We need to be flexible, but we can't trade on human rights, we won't trade on European unity, and we won't trade on democracy and values."
Trump believes that the EU has too many rules, saying that the EU's fines on American technology companies are essentially taxes.
In March 2024, the European Union launched a large-scale investigation into violations of the Digital Market Law against Apple, Google and Meta. The EU claims it has reason to believe the companies failed to comply with the law set out in the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Regarding Apple, the EU is concerned that the Cupertino-based tech giant has violated the law in three key areas. These include violations of anti-diversion rules regarding app stores, third-party browser support and new fee structures set for third-party app marketplaces.
Apple has worked to bring some of these areas into compliance. For example, in August this year, Apple simplified the process for EU users to choose alternatives to Apple's default apps. It remains to be seen whether its efforts will be seen as adequate. The year-long investigation is coming to an end, and Ribera announced that a decision on Apple and Meta will be announced in March.
"We will make a decision based on the outcome of discussions with both companies and on the basis of evidence," she said.
It is worth noting that the EU is also investigating X on other issues. The European Commission is concerned about whether the platform violated regional rules on illegal content. Ribera said Musk's role in the Trump administration would not influence EU decisions.
Before Trump's second term, the EU did not shy away from enforcing antitrust laws and imposing fines where appropriate. In March 2024, the European Union fined Apple $2 billion for anti-competitive conduct on Apple Music, although Apple's streaming service is far from dominant.
In 2023, Apple launched iPhone15, which is Apple's first iPhone to use USB-C interface for charging. The change was made to comply with a DMA regulation that aims to reduce the number of proprietary chargers on the market.
While Apple appears to be following EU regulations with almost surgical precision, its competitors describe it as "malicious compliance." Epic Games calls Apple's concessions to the EU "hot garbage."
Apple insists that what it has done is sufficient to meet the requirements of the DMA law. Apple isn't doing this quietly, though, publishing a white paper detailing the risks of third-party app stores. Apple later released another white paper outlining its concerns about EU interoperability laws.
Victories in the face of EU regulations are rare for Apple. However, last November, the EU dropped a four-year investigation into Apple's treatment of rival audiobook developers after the initial complaint was withdrawn.