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Brussels is re-examining its investigation of tech giants including Apple, Meta and Google, just as US groups are urging President-elect Donald Trump to intervene against what they describe as excessive EU enforcement.
The review, which could lead to the European Commission withdrawing or changing the distribution of the probe, will cover all cases initiated in March last year. EU digital market rulesaccording to two officials briefed on the move.
It comes as the Brussels body begins a new five-year term amid growing pressure to handle key bills and as Trump prepares to return to the White House next week.
“It's going to be a whole new ball game technology The oligarchs are very close to Trump and use that to pressure us,” said an EU diplomat briefed on the study. “There's a lot in the air right now.”
All decisions and potential penalties will be suspended while the review is completed, but technical work on the cases will continue, officials said.
While some of the research under investigation is at an early stage, others are more advanced. Charges in an investigation into Google's alleged favoritism in its app store were expected last year.
Two other EU officials said that Brussels authorities are now waiting for political guidance to take the final decisions on Google, Apple and Meta.
The review comes as EU lawmakers call on the commission to rein in American pressure, while Silicon Valley bosses hail Trump's return as the start of an era of easier tech governance.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, on Friday called on the president-elect to stop Brussels from fining US tech companies, complaining that EU regulators have forced them to pay “more than $30bn” in fines over the past 20 years.
Zuckerberg, who recently announced plans for this stop fact checking on Facebook and Instagram – which could run afoul of EU laws – said he was convinced that the incoming Trump administration wanted to protect American interests abroad.
The effects of Trump's presidency are part of the study, one of the officials said, while stressing that his victory did not cause it.
The commission said it “remains fully committed to the effective enforcement” of its rules. “There is no delay in the conclusion of open non-compliance cases, and especially not because of any political considerations,” said an EU spokesman.
The ongoing cases were “not yet ready at the technical level”, the spokesman added, saying that the investigation took time due to their complexity, novelty and “the need to ensure that the commission's decisions are legally binding”.
Before Trump's victory, EU regulators had been pursuing a tougher stance against the world's biggest technology groups, passing reforms aimed at opening up markets and establishing a regulatory framework for Big Tech.
Under the Digital Markets Act, a law that seeks to prevent the abuse of large platform markets, Brussels launched an investigation last March against Apple, Google and Meta.
The commission is also under pressure to use the full force of the Digital Services Act, a set of rules aimed at policing content online, to curb the growing influence of tech billionaire Elon Musk in European affairs.
In addition to a similar investigation into Alphabet owner Google, the commission was looking into whether Apple likes its own app store, and Facebook owner Meta's use of ads.
Brussels is also consulting Apple's rivals on the tech giant's proposals to make its iOS operating system compatible with connected devices.
Margrethe Vestager of Denmark and Thierry Breton of France, both of whom took a hard line against US technology companies, stepped down from the commission in November.
“Priorities can change,” said another. “The (digital laws) came from the previous commission.”
EU lawmakers have called on regulators to hold back. Stephanie Yon-Courtin, an MEP involved in drafting technology laws, said EU probes cannot be sacrificed to avoid a political fallout.
In a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the commission, Yon-Courtin said the DMA “cannot be arrested”.
He added: “Please assure me that your cabinet and you fully support the implementation of the DMA, without delay.”