EU calls for a 40-person antitrust team to enforce the DMA

EU calls for a 40-person antitrust team to enforce the DMA

An official announced that EU antitrust authorities are aiming to form a 40-person team and employ technology experts to limit big tech’s dominance.

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) provides a set of do’s and don’ts for Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and other gatekeepers who control access to major sites and data.

In July, Reuters revealed that the European Commission was considering establishing a new directorate to alleviate fears that it would be difficult to convince extremely rich and well-advised digital businesses to comply with the new laws.

An EU official recently confirmed that a 12-person team led by antitrust veteran Thomas Kramler is presently overseeing Apple and Amazon antitrust probes. A 9-person taskforce will soon be transferred to the new directorate.

According to the official, the EU competition enforcer plans to employ 19 additional staff for the directorate and a chief technology officer to specialize in data. The new entity will need to be approved by the council of commissioners from the EU’s 27 member states before it can be established.

Google under scrutiny

The DMA will be enforced in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content, and Technology, which has also established a new unit for the task. The Commission originally said that 80 enforcers would be required.

Meanwhile, Google announced that its Play Store is the target of an antitrust probe, potentially exposing the company to another billion-euro fine. Over the past ten years, the company has been fined about 8.25 billion euros in antitrust fines after three investigations into its anticompetitive practices.