Friday, 7 March 2025 was the Digital Market Act’s (DMA) 1st anniversary. On this date last year, the Commission announced that the DMA entered into application. From this day onwards, business users of the gatekeepers’ services should have had new opportunities, while end users would benefit from more choice and innovation in the digital space. This enthusiasm was also shared by Ecommerce Europe when we issued a joint statement recognising the potential of the DMA to ensure fairer and more open digital markets. In our joint statement we called on Alphabet to ensure that Google Search ensures a level playing field and offers the best options to consumers. The statement also encouraged the Commission to ensure compliance and to identify and correct any harmful unintended consequences on business users.
However, after one year much still remains to be done and recent news from the US is a cause of concern. During this one year, Ecommerce Europe met with different stakeholders and tried to find solutions satisfactory for all parties with regards to Google Search. A recurring concern during the discussions focused on the fear that the changes would lead to situations where online intermediaries would become entrenched in their position and consumers would lack a real variety of choices. Even though the discussions are still ongoing, Ecommerce Europe remains as committed today as it was on day one.
At this moment though, our primary worry focuses on the geo-political context. It is evident that the momentum is shifting away from battles between technological titans to battles between nation states.
In spite of the rhetoric of certain actors, there are positive signs that EU legislators and enforcers are not afraid, and that they are equally committed as we are. On the day of the anniversary, a press release from the Commission reaffirmed their strong commitment to the implementation of the DMA. At the same time, the gatekeepers published their compliance reports showing that they are committed to the process and they are actively taking steps to heed the Commission’s advice.
Looking forward, we expect for the Commission to be diligent in its assessments, to actively engage with all the stakeholders and finally to bring fairness and contestability to the EU’s Digital Single Market.