The European Union (EU) on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, slapped Apple and Meta with 700 million euros in fines for breaking digital competition rules.
The penalties threaten to cause more tension in the already fraught relationship between the bloc and United States President Donald Trump, as the two sides discuss a deal to avoid his sweeping tariffs on the EU.
The European Commission fined Apple 500 million euros ($570 million) after concluding the company prevented developers from steering customers outside its App Store to access cheaper deals.
The EU also fined Meta 200 million euros over its “pay or consent” system after it violated rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram.
The fines are the first under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect last year, forcing the world’s biggest tech firms to open up to competition in the EU.
They could rise further if Meta and Apple fail to comply within 60 days, the commission said, threatening the US giants with “periodic penalty payments”.
The EU bolstered its legal arsenal over the past two years with major twin laws, the Digital Services Act and the DMA.
But since Trump’s return to the White House, there have been concerns that the EU would shy away from enforcing them.
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Trump frequently lashes out at the EU over its digital laws and taxes – claiming they are “non-tariff barriers” to trade – and many tech CEOs have aligned with his administration.
He has imposed 25-percent tariffs on steel, aluminium and auto imports from the EU, which Brussels hopes he will lift after an agreement, AFP reported.
Antitrust commissioner Teresa Ribera said in a statement the fines “send a strong and clear message”, insisting the bloc had taken “firm but balanced enforcement action”.
The fines – which come after the investigations began in March 2024 – also appear to be more modest than past penalties against US Big Tech.
When Apple committed similar offences on its App Store, the commission slapped a 1.8-billion-euro fine in March 2024 under different EU rules.
Apple faces a litany of accusations. The EU also told Apple in preliminary findings it was in breach of the DMA – and therefore at risk of another hefty fine – for not making it easy for rivals to provide alternatives to its App Store.
Apple, however, slammed the decisions and said in a statement it would appeal the fine.
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