{"id":54290,"date":"2025-05-08T19:32:06","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T17:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/?p=54290"},"modified":"2025-05-09T18:21:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T16:21:18","slug":"apple-in-the-eus-sights-a-procedure-with-questionable-outcome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/en\/news\/apple-im-visier-der-eu-ein-verfahren-mit-fragwuerdigem-ablauf","title":{"rendered":"Apple in the EU's sights: A procedure with questionable results"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple is to pay a $570 million (\u20ac500 million) fine for alleged violations of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The decision is causing controversy because, according to a POLITICO report, Apple had already attempted to enter into dialogue with the EU and offer solutions in 2024. The fine was imposed anyway. Now the company is appealing. A closer look at the background reveals that the matter is not as clear-cut as it seems at first glance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the DMA, the European Union aims to impose stricter regulations on major tech companies. Apple is one of the so-called gatekeepers \u2013 platforms with particularly strong market power that, according to the EU, should allow for more competition. This is understandable. But regulation is one thing, willingness to engage in dialogue is another. Apple seems to have sought precisely this dialogue in 2024 \u2013 and was apparently ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple proposed measures \u2013 no clear response from the EU<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

According to the POLITICO report,<\/a> Apple executives submitted a series of proposals to the EU as early as 2024. The goal was to better comply with existing requirements. This is particularly evident in the area of communication between app developers and users: Apple offered to relax restrictions to give developers more freedom. However, the EU's response failed to materialize \u2013 or was at least delayed. The Commission asked Apple to postpone the proposal until it received feedback from developers. After that, there was largely silence. From Apple's perspective, this gave the impression that the company had no real interest in a constructive dialogue. A letter from October 2024 to senior officials in the Directorates-General for Connect and Competition demonstrates how seriously Apple took the situation. The letter states that the relevant case teams at the EU Commission had already made it clear at that point: a fine was a done deal \u2013 regardless of what further proposals might follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n