Call for action
It’s time to go beyond non-compliance decisions that deter gatekeepers from disregarding the law.
Besides relying on competition policy tools, the European Commission and Parliament should promote a dynamic and competitive digital economy in Europe by promoting a comprehensive European Digital Industrial Policy, which provides the continent with the conditions for its own industry to innovate and produce homegrown digital products.
This effort should start by ensuring access to data and computing power to innovative SMEs and tech companies and by promoting public and private companies to build a European technological stack. The latter should emerge to provide an alternative to dominant solutions on the market, provided by foreign hyperscalers, and foster a more competitive digital environment.
Key demands for competitive digital markets:
- An extension of the interoperability provision to all core platform services to improve efficiency for SMEs and make it easier for companies operating in Europe to compete with gatekeepers.
- The introduction of an explicit ban on pre-installed apps and default settings allowing users to choose their own core services such as email, search and messaging apps.
- The widening of the ban on bundling services with operating systems, to also include ancillary services. This, for instance, could ensure that platforms like Android or iOS will no longer be able to force users to sign up for additional Google and Apple products.
For more information, you can visit our joint campaign page competitivedigitalmarkets.eu.
Focus Group Fair Digital Markets, Ethical Tech & Interoperability
A network of companies that share a strong belief that competitiveness & fairness in digital markets comes from openness and interoperable solutions, and that technology can follow a responsible and ethical approach.
The focus group forms a network in Europe that develops joint activities and positions.
Relevant publications
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) should include stricter provisions aimed at curbing the power of dominant “gatekeeper” platforms. European tech SMEs advocate for extending interoperability requirements to all core platform services, banning self-preferencing practices such as pre-installation and default settings, and prohibiting the bundling of ancillary services. These measures are essential to enhance competition, support innovation, and enable smaller firms to compete on merit in digital markets dominated by entrenched players.
European industry leaders urge the European Commission to take bold, immediate action to secure Europe’s digital sovereignty. In view of geopolitical shifts and growing reliance on non-European technology, the European Commission should take an industry-led approach to reduce critical dependencies and boost Europe’s strategic autonomy.
In line with the EuroStack initiative, a pragmatic industrial policy is needed. This should focus on creating demand through procurement obligations, building viable supply via common standards and federated assets, and prioritising services with strong market prospects. The letter also calls for harmonised requirements for sovereign cloud services and substantial, results-driven funding, including a new Sovereign Infrastructure Fund.
A coalition of global businesses, developers, and civil society organisations urges the European Commission to enforce the Digital Markets Act (DMA) more decisively. Certain designated gatekeepers are actively evading compliance, undermining innovation and Europe’s digital competitiveness. Despite ongoing investigations, non-compliance persists. Therefore, swift action is needed to uphold EU competition rules and restore fair, open digital markets that benefit consumers and foster growth.
