EU Parliament calls for tighter rules for cloud and AI
DMA regulatory developments: focus on cloud services and artificial intelligence
The European Parliament's Economic Affairs Committee (ECON) sees the importance of regulating cloud services and artificial intelligence in the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to ensure fair competition. There is an urgent need for an acceleration of antitrust procedures, a critical examination of the concessions of large companies such as Microsoft, and close collaboration between the authorities to effectively combat the problems linked to the so-called "gatekeepers" of the digital sector.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulatory landscape may soon expand to include cloud services and artificial intelligence (AI). This is reported in the recent document approved by ECON, the Economic Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, which has shown particular interest in ensuring fair competition in these technological sectors. The Commission was invited to evaluate the effectiveness of gatekeeper compliance solutions, noting the importance of including cloud service providers in the list of regulated entities, in light of their market dominance in the EU.
Antitrust regulation and fight against digital cartels
A significant segment of the report focuses on antitrust, calling for the adoption of more stringent interlocutory measures, especially in highly dynamic digital markets. There is pressure to speed up antitrust proceedings and set deadlines for rapid resolutions, as highlighted by Spotify's pending case against Apple since 2019, where, despite the Commission's intervention, there has been no concrete progress in terms of restrictions imposed on developers of apps.
Gatekeeper framework and the future of AI
ECON showed concern about the potential abuse of a dominant position in the AI sector by gatekeepers, suggesting a market investigation to better understand the current technological landscape, not yet covered by the DMA. The evolution of AI, especially if integrated into tools such as search engines, could further strengthen the influence of certain entities in the digital services market.
Ongoing investigations and the need for greater collaboration
The commission welcomes the launch of investigations into possible anti-competitive practices, including that relating to the integration of Microsoft Teams. Furthermore, there is a call for a critical examination of the concessions proposed by Microsoft, in order to protect interoperability and fair pricing practices. Greater coordination between law enforcement authorities is called for to effectively resolve issues relating to gatekeepers, leveraging previous antitrust decisions that have not yet generated concrete behavioral changes.
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