00:00The European Commission presented its first formal review on how the Digital Markets Act
00:05is reshaping the big tech script on the internet.
00:09The DMA came into force in March 2024 and is targeting what Brussels calls gatekeepers.
00:15Platforms so dominant, they act as unavoidable entry points to the digital market.
00:21Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta.
00:23But has it been working?
00:25For EU citizens, the shifts are already visible.
00:28Your iPhone now lets you install apps from outside the App Store, something unthinkable two years ago.
00:35When you set up a new Android or iOS device, a neutral screen asks which browser and search engine you
00:42want to use.
00:43And switching your default apps, maps, mail, music, now takes just a few clicks.
00:48The numbers back it up.
00:50Firefox saw daily users in Germany jump up to 99%.
00:54Brave and Opera recorded EU download spikes up to 250%.
00:59For big tech, the law landed with real financial consequences.
01:03In April 2025, the Commission issued its first fines.
01:08Apple, 500 million euros from blocking developers, telling users they could buy cheaper elsewhere.
01:15Meta, 200 million euros for its consent or pay model, which the Commission ruled it was not a free choice
01:21at all.
01:22Both companies are appealing, both say the fines are disproportionate.
01:26The Commission answers that that's exactly what non-compliance looks like.
01:31And investigations are still open into Google for favoring its own services in search,
01:36for blocking cheaper alternatives on the Play Store and for how it uses data to train its AI tools.
01:42A finding against Google could mean fines up to 10% of global turnover, potentially 25 billion euros.
01:50But the DMA's relationship with innovation is complicated.
01:53Supporters say that opening up app stores and data centers gives European startups a fighting chance against Silicon Valley giants.
02:03Critics, mostly tech companies themselves, argue that compliance costs are diverting billions from research and development.
02:10Apple even delayed rolling out its AI features in Europe, citing DMA obligations.
02:17The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
02:20On April 28th, the European Commission presented its first formal review of the DMA.
02:25The report confirms early wins, more choice, more access, more competition, but also flags serious problems.
02:32Investigations running twice as long as the 12-month target, gatekeepers using appeals and legal delays to slow enforcement,
02:40and the question from experts on whether AI tools and cloud platforms face the same rules as app stores and
02:47search engines.
02:48The Digital Markets Act was always going to be a long game we must follow.
02:52For the full story, read our in-depth explainer on euronews.com.
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