On 23 April 2025, the European Commission (“the
Commission”) issued its first fines for non-compliance with
the Digital Markets Act (the “DMA”) to Apple and Meta.
The fines are the result of investigations into Apple and Meta
which began in March 2024 when the deadline for
‘gatekeepers' to comply with the DMA
expired. Under the DMA, the Commission can designate an online
platform as ‘gatekeeper' if it provides a core
platform service that serves as an important gateway for business
users to reach end users, assessed by reference to certain
quantitative thresholds.
The tech giants were informed in June and July 2024 respectively
that the Commission had formed the preliminary view that they were
both in breach of the DMA. Both companies were given the
opportunity to carry out a detailed review of the files and
documents used in the investigation and to reply in writing to the
Commission's preliminary finding. The highly anticipated
penalties are the first to be issued