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European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager

Apple told to end geo-blocking on services like App Store

Apple was told by the EU today to stop geo-blocking, the practice of restricting content according to a user's geographical location, on services such as its App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iTunes Store, Books and Podcasts.

Business • 12 Nov 24

Apple must comply with landmark rules requiring it to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals or risk a possible hefty fine from the EU

EU tells Apple how to open up to rivals, spell out how

EU antitrust regulators have launched proceedings to ensure that Apple complies with landmark rules requiring it to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals or risk a possible hefty fine.

Business • 19 Sep 24

The EU competition watchdog's latest action against Microsoft was triggered by a 2020 complaint from rival workspace messaging app Slack

Microsoft hit with EU antitrust charge over Teams app

Microsoft faces a hefty antitrust fine after the European Commission today accused it of illegally linking its chat and video app Teams with its Office product.

Business • 25 Jun 24

The European Commission launched an investigation into Microsoft's tying of Office and Teams last year

Microsoft to take more steps to resolve EU Teams worries

Microsoft expects to take additional steps to resolve an EU antitrust investigation into its chat and video app Teams which is part of its Office product, even as it seems likely to get EU charges in the case, its President Brad Smith said today.

Business • 04 Jun 24

EU's Vestager warns about Apple and Meta fees

EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager has warned Apple and Meta Platforms on their new fees for their services, saying that this may hinder users from enjoying the benefits of the Digital Markets Act which aims to give them more choices.

Business • 20 Mar 24

Apple has criticised today's EU decision and fine, saying it would challenge it in court

Apple hit with over €1.8 billion EU fine in Spotify case

Brussels has today fined Apple €1.84 billion, the iPhone maker's first ever EU antitrust penalty, for preventing Spotify and other music streaming services from informing users of payment options outside its App Store.

Business • 04 Mar 24

EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager will travel to the US next week

EU's Vestager to meet Big Tech CEOs in the US next week

EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager will meet the chief executives of Apple, Alphabet, Broadcom and Nvidia in the US next week, her communications adviser said today.

Business • 05 Jan 24

The European Court of Justice has scrapped an EU order to Amazon to pay €250m in back taxes to Luxembourg

EU top court rejects €250m EU tax order to Amazon

Europe's top court has today scrapped an EU order to Amazon to pay €250m in back taxes to Luxembourg, part of EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's crackdown against sweetheart deals between multinationals and EU countries.

Business • 14 Dec 23

Spain's economy minister Nadia Calvino is the new head of the European Investment Bank

Spain's Calvino beats Vestager to head EIB

Spain's economy minister Nadia Calvino today won the race to lead the European Investment Bank, the bloc's lending arm whose significance has grown since war broke out in Ukraine.

Business • 08 Dec 23

EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager

US economist abandons EU job bid after controversy

A US competition expert has dropped out of the running for a top job to advise the European Commission on regulating the tech industry following controversy over her nationality.

Business • 19 Jul 23

In a 2015 decision, the EU said Luxembourg had granted Fiat Chrysler an unfair tax advantage by endorsing artificial and complex methods that artificially lowered its taxes

Fiat Chrysler and Ireland win EU tax ruling appeals

Fiat Chrysler has won its fight against an EU order to pay €30 million in back taxes to Luxembourg, dealing a major setback to EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's crackdown on sweetheart deals between EU countries and multinationals.

Business • 08 Nov 22

European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in Dublin today, said there is no sense of a grudge over the Apple tax case

Vestager calls for debate on improving energy security

The European Commission Executive Vice-President has said the EU needs to have a debate about how to make its infrastructure more secure.

Business • 30 Sep 22

Illumina must divest Grail as EU blocks takeover

US life sciences firm Illumina will have to divest biotechnology company Grail after an EU veto of the $7.1 billion acquisition over concerns it would hurt competition and stifle innovation.

Business • 06 Sep 22

Today's decision is a major setback to EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager's crackdown on Big Tech

Qualcomm wins fight against €997m EU competition fine

US chipmaker Qualcomm has today won its fight against a €997m fine imposed by EU competition regulators four years ago, dealing a major setback to EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager's crackdown on Big Tech.

Business • 15 Jun 22

Margrethe Vestager said that 'things would only get problematic if Elon Musk were to buy several social networks'

EU's Vestager says doesn't care who owns Twitter

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager does not care who owns Twitter as long as they obey the rules, she told German newspaper DieZeit today.

Business • 27 Apr 22

Margrethe Vestager hailed agreement on the Digital Services Act

EU agrees on internet rulebook for tech giants

EU member states, the European Commission, and the European Parliament have finalised new legislation that will better combat abuses of the internet such as hate speech and disinformation campaigns.

Europe • 23 Apr 22

The planned deal was first announced in August 2020

EU ends probe as Kingspan-Trimo deal is terminated

The European Commission has said it has taken note of a decision by building materials group Kingspan and the parent company of Slovenian firm Trimo to terminate a planned deal that would have seen Kingspan buy Trimo.

Business • 22 Apr 22

The EU watchdog is ramping up its investigation into the company's gas supplies to Europe

Gazprom offices targeted in EU competition raids

Russian gas company Gazprom's offices in Germany were raided by EU competition regulators, people familiar with the matter said, as the EU watchdog ramped up its investigation into the company's gas supplies to Europe.

Business • 31 Mar 22

Margrethe Vestager has won backing from European Union members and EU lawmakers for the Digital Markets Act

EU rules regulating tech giants to set global standard

Landmark EU rules targeting Alphabet unit Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft are likely to set a global benchmark and may even force the tech giants to be more innovative, lawyers and experts said.

Business • 25 Mar 22

EU authorises state aid for firms hit by Ukraine war

EU member states can offer limited subsidies and cheap loans to companies affected by the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, the bloc's competition authority said today.

Business • 23 Mar 22

European Commission digital chief Margrethe Vestager

EU rules take aim at illegal data transfers

Amazon, Microsoft and other cloud services providers and data processing service providers will have to adopt safeguards to prevent non-EU governments gain illegal access to EU data, according to European Commission draft rules.

Business • 23 Feb 22

Google made $147 billion in revenue from online ads in 2020, more than any other company in the world

Google's advertising tech targeted in complaint

Google was today targeted in a competition complaint by the European Publishers Council over its digital advertising business, potentially strengthening EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's investigation into the issue.

Business • 11 Feb 22

Businesses and consumers across the world are facing an unprecedented shortage in semiconductor microchips

EU may clear semiconductor state aid

The European Union may approve state aid to fund new semiconductor production in the bloc, its competition chief said today.

Business • 18 Nov 21

Paschal Donohoe spoke about tax issues with Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager today

Donohoe to brief Govt on OECD's revised tax plan

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said he will brief the Government on Thursday on the revised draft agreement from the OECD on corporate tax reform.

Business • 04 Oct 21

The European Commission had opened the in-depth investigation into Insurance Ireland's data sharing system in May 2019

EU claims Insurance Ireland breached competition rules

EU competition regulators have told Insurance Ireland that they have formed the preliminary view that it breached competition rules in the motor market, following a two-year long investigation.

Business • 18 Jun 21