EU Commission Weighs Early Lessons From Digital Markets Act Review

Key Takeaways

• High Participation: More than 450 stakeholders responded to the DMA review consultation.
• Early Support: Many respondents say the DMA is already delivering benefits.
• Pressure to Expand: Calls are growing to strengthen interoperability rules and address AI and cloud services.
• Industry Pushback: Gatekeepers raised concerns about proportionality and user experience.

Deep Dive

The European Commission has published a detailed snapshot of how stakeholders are responding to the ongoing review of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), offering an early sense of where Europe’s landmark digital competition rule is landing and where pressure is already building for change.

More than 450 contributions were submitted as part of the public consultation, a level of engagement the Commission described as strong and broad-based. Responses came from across the digital ecosystem, including small and medium-sized enterprises, designated gatekeepers, civil society groups, academics, and individual citizens. Taken together, the submissions point to widespread backing for the DMA’s underlying goals, with many respondents saying the regulation is already delivering concrete benefits in digital markets.

That support, however, is not without caveats. A recurring theme across the consultation was a call for the DMA to go further in certain areas. Several contributors urged the Commission to strengthen rules on interoperability, data access, and data portability, arguing that these levers are critical if smaller players are to compete more effectively with entrenched platforms. Others pressed for additional measures tailored specifically to SMEs, reflecting concerns that compliance burdens and market power remain unevenly distributed.

The consultation also reopened debate over the DMA’s scope. A number of respondents suggested that the framework should be extended to better capture fast-moving areas such as artificial intelligence and cloud services—sectors that were less prominent when the DMA was first drafted but are now central to how digital markets function.

Gatekeepers, meanwhile, struck a more cautious tone. Their submissions raised concerns about proportionality and warned that some obligations could negatively affect user experience. These criticisms mirror earlier industry arguments that the DMA risks being too rigid in markets defined by rapid technological change and constant product iteration.

The Commission said it will now assess the full set of responses as it prepares a formal review report, which must be delivered by 3 May 2026 to the European Parliament, the Council, and the European Economic and Social Committee. The three-year review cycle is written into the DMA itself, reflecting lawmakers’ intention to keep the regulation under regular scrutiny as digital markets evolve.

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