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Brussels is reassessing investigations into tech groups including Apple, Meta and Google, as U.S. companies urge President-elect Donald Trump to intervene in what they say is overzealous EU enforcement.
The review, which will cover all cases launched under EU digital market regulations since March last year, could lead the European Commission to scale back or change the scope of its investigation, according to two officials familiar with the move.
It comes as the Brussels institution begins a new five-year term under increasing pressure to handle the landmark case as Trump prepares to return to the White House next week.
“It’s going to be a whole new ball game with these tech oligarchs being so close to Trump and using that to put pressure on us,” said a senior EU diplomat briefed on the review. “There are a lot of things up in the air right now. “
Officials said all decisions and possible fines are on hold while the review is completed, but technical work on the case will continue.
While some of the investigations under review are in their early stages, others are more in-depth. The charges were expected last year in an investigation into Google’s alleged favoritism in its app store.
Two other EU officials said Brussels regulators were now awaiting political direction before making final decisions on the Google, Apple and Meta cases.
The review comes as European Union lawmakers called on the commission to remain calm in response to U.S. pressure, while top Silicon Valley executives hailed Trump’s return as the beginning of an era of looser tech regulations.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg called on the president-elect on Friday to halt Brussels’ fines on U.S. technology companies, complaining that EU regulators have forced them to pay “more than $30 billion” in fines over the past 20 years.
Zuckerberg, who recently announced plans to abolish fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram — which could violate EU rules — said he believes the incoming Trump administration wants to defend U.S. interests abroad.
One official said the influence of Trump’s presidency was a factor in the review but insisted that Trump’s victory did not trigger a review.
The commission said it remained “fully committed to the effective enforcement” of its rules. A commission spokesman said the ongoing case was “not yet ready on a technical level” and argued that such an investigation would take time due to its complexity, novelty and “the need to ensure that the commission’s decisions are legally sound”.
Asked on Tuesday about the Financial Times report, a spokesman said: “No such review was carried out.” . We have an upcoming meeting to assess overall preparations for the investigation. No decisions can be made on these cases yet.
Before Trump’s victory, EU regulators had been taking aggressive action against the world’s largest technology groups, passing a series of reforms aimed at opening up markets and setting a regulatory framework for big tech companies.
Brussels launched an investigation into Apple, Google and Meta in March last year under the Digital Markets Act, which aims to curb market abuse on large platforms.
The commission is also under pressure to use the full powers of the Digital Services Act, a set of rules designed to regulate online content, to curb the growing influence of tech billionaire Elon Musk in European affairs .
In addition to a similar investigation into Google parent Alphabet, the committee has also been examining whether Apple favors its own app store and Facebook parent Meta’s use of personal data for advertising.
Brussels is also consulting Apple’s rivals over the technology group’s proposal to make its iOS operating system compatible with connected devices.
Denmark’s Margrethe Vestager and France’s Thierry Breton, both of whom have taken tough stances against U.S. tech companies, resigned from the committee in November.
“Priorities may change,” one person said. “this [digital rules] from previous committees.
The commission’s chief spokesman said on Tuesday: “There may be political realities [in the US] This puts pressure on technical jobs. . . We will study and evaluate new specific measures and actions [Trump] administrative.
EU lawmakers called on regulators to remain firm. MEP Stephanie Jan-Kutin, who helped draft the tech rules, said EU investigations cannot be sacrificed to avoid diplomatic consequences.
In a letter to committee chair Ursula von der Leyen, Yon-Courtin said the DMA “cannot be held hostage”.
She added: “Please assure me that your cabinet and you personally have full support for the effective implementation of the DMA without further delay.”
