Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s Antitrust Enforcer, to Leave Office: A Look Back
After a decade of service as Europe’s top antitrust regulator, Margrethe Vestager will not be seeking a third term, according to the Financial Times.
Vestager’s term was highlighted by her tough stance against tech giants like Google, Apple, and Amazon, resulting in record-breaking fines and groundbreaking antitrust rulings. Although praised for her enforcement of the Digital Markets Act in 2023, she also faced criticism for some of her decisions.
During her tenure, Vestager levied fines totaling €8.25 billion against Google and earned the moniker “tax lady” from former U.S. President Donald Trump. The €4 billion fine imposed on Google in 2018 for pre-installing Google Search and Chrome on Android devices remains the largest in EU antitrust history.
Vestager also clashed with companies like Meta, Qualcomm, Alstom, and Siemens, with Qualcomm facing a fine of €997 million for market dominance abuse. Notably, her order for Apple to pay Ireland €14.3 billion in back taxes in 2016 was overturned by the General Court of the European Union in 2020, sparking controversy.
Her legacy includes the designation of seven ‘gatekeeper’ organizations under the Digital Markets Act, prompting significant changes from tech giants. For instance, Google removed certain Search widgets to provide more visibility to individual businesses in compliance with a DMA ruling.
Despite initial popularity for her strong stance on antitrust issues, Vestager’s support waned due to legal challenges to her rulings. She also faced setbacks in her political career, such as being blocked from leading the European Investment Bank and losing support within her party and government in Denmark.
Notable Digital Markets Act Rulings
In June, Apple became the first tech giant formally charged by the European Commission for violating the Digital Markets Act. The Commission found Apple’s business rules restricting app developers from offering third-party purchase options to be non-compliant.
Additionally, Meta was found to be in violation of the DMA, with its advertising model failing to provide equivalent services for users opting out of targeted ads. Investigations into these rulings were initiated in March.
Alphabet also faced scrutiny for steering customers back to Google services in search results, leading to temporary removal of certain units. Apple took steps to comply with the DMA, but still faced fines for anti-steering provisions on music streaming apps.