Digital Markets Act: MEPs want stronger enforcement amid external pushback 

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.

MEPs are pushing for the Commission’s timely and effective enforcement of the EU’s Digital Markets Act and closer scrutiny of AI-driven search tools and cloud services.

In a resolution adopted on Thursday by show of hands, Parliament urges the Commission to quickly and consistently enforce the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and to make full use of its enforcement powers. MEPs point to the growing strategic importance of cloud computing services and the increasing uptake of AI-driven search tools (such as Google’s AI overview), stressing the need for closer scrutiny under the DMA framework.

EU’s sovereignty must not be compromised

MEPs warn against political pressure from third countries seeking to weaken the DMA and underline that such interference should not compromise the EU’s sovereignty and autonomy to enforce its own rules. The Commission should make full use of the DMA’s enforcement instruments (including regulatory dialogue, investigations, non-compliance proceedings, and fines) to prevent gatekeepers, regardless of their place of establishment, from bypassing the law.

Ongoing non-compliance proceedings should be concluded without undue delay, MEPs say. They also regret the modest fines imposed on Meta and Apple and stress that effective and proportionate fines are essential to ensure deterrence.

Gatekeeper action

With gatekeepers having to comply with the DMA since 2024, smaller players continue to face discriminatory practices and gatekeeper-imposed restrictions, slowing innovation and reducing consumer choice. Concerns remain around Google’s persistent self-preferencing practices, TikTok’s consent screens using behavioural techniques to obtain consent, the change of default settings and easily accessing competing services by Microsoft , and the continued use of prohibited parity clauses by Booking.com. MEPs are also worried about restricted access to audiovisual media services on connected TVs and call on the Commission to monitor this segment of the market, to avoid replicating unfair practices such as those by Android on smartphones.

Real-world results

Parliament urges the Commission to prioritise the enforcement of interoperability, data access, anti-steering and anti-self-preferencing obligations, while taking into account relevant market developments. The text says compliance with the DMA should be assessed in relation to practical, real-world outcomes on market openness, competition and user choice, while its effectiveness depends on empowered end-users.

Background

In November 2025, the Commission launched investigations into Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure to determine if they should be designated as gatekeepers for their cloud computing services. In April 2025, it issued its first non-compliance decisions and fines against Meta regarding its “pay or consent” advertising model and Apple for breaching its anti-steering obligations. On 28 April 2026, the Commission published the first review of the DMA, assessing the DMA’s impact and identifying areas of future focus, such as cloud services and AI.