EU Lawmakers Press for Sharper Digital Markets Act Enforcement as AI & Cloud Shift the Stakes

Key Takeaways

• Enforcement Urgency: Parliament is calling on the Commission to enforce the Digital Markets Act quickly and consistently, using the full range of its powers.
• AI And Cloud Scrutiny: The growing role of AI-driven search tools and cloud services is prompting lawmakers to push for closer oversight under the DMA.
• EU Sovereignty Protected: Lawmakers warned that external political pressure must not weaken the EU’s ability to enforce its own digital market rules.
• Fines Must Deter: MEPs expressed concern that penalties imposed on Meta and Apple were too modest, stressing that stronger fines are needed to ensure deterrence.

Deep Dive

The European Parliament is urging regulators to pick up the pace in enforcing the Digital Markets Act, warning that delays, modest penalties, and rapidly evolving technologies risk undermining one of the bloc’s most consequential competition laws.

In a resolution adopted Thursday, lawmakers called on the European Commission to move swiftly and consistently in applying the DMA, making full use of its enforcement powers. The appeal reflects a growing sense in Parliament that the framework’s credibility now depends less on its design and more on how firmly it is enforced in practice.

The timing is not incidental. As generative AI tools and cloud services reshape how users interact with digital platforms, MEPs pointed to new pressure points that may fall outside the DMA’s original contours but are increasingly central to market dynamics. The rise of AI-driven search features, including those embedded into existing platforms, alongside the expanding strategic importance of cloud infrastructure, has prompted calls for closer scrutiny under the law.

At the same time, lawmakers struck a cautionary tone on geopolitics. They warned that political pressure from third countries must not interfere with the EU’s ability to enforce its own rules, emphasizing that sovereignty and regulatory autonomy remain non-negotiable. The Commission, they said, should be prepared to deploy the full range of DMA tools, from regulatory dialogue and investigations to non-compliance proceedings and fines, to prevent designated “gatekeepers” from circumventing their obligations, regardless of where they are headquartered.

There is also impatience with the pace and outcome of enforcement to date. Parliament urged that ongoing non-compliance proceedings be concluded without undue delay and expressed regret over what it described as modest fines imposed on Meta and Apple. Effective and proportionate penalties, lawmakers stressed, are essential if the DMA is to deter violations and maintain its intended impact.

Beneath the procedural concerns lies a broader frustration with how the market is evolving. Although gatekeepers have been subject to DMA obligations since 2024, smaller competitors continue to face barriers that lawmakers say restrict innovation and limit consumer choice. The resolution points to a series of ongoing issues across major platforms, including alleged self-preferencing by Google, the use of behavioral techniques in consent screens by TikTok, challenges around changing default settings and accessing rival services within ecosystems operated by Microsoft, and the continued use of prohibited parity clauses by Booking.com.

Lawmakers also flagged emerging risks beyond traditional platform battles. In particular, they raised concerns about restricted access to audiovisual media services on connected televisions, urging the Commission to monitor the segment closely to avoid replicating patterns already seen in smartphone ecosystems.

Still, the resolution makes clear that enforcement should not become an abstract exercise. Parliament is calling on the Commission to focus on real-world outcomes, whether the DMA is actually delivering more open markets, fairer competition, and greater user choice. To that end, it urged prioritization of core obligations such as interoperability, data access, anti-steering rules, and restrictions on self-preferencing, while recognizing the need to adapt to ongoing market developments.

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