Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s commissioner for competition, will not be returning for a third term and will be resigning this year. The Danish government will nominate a new candidate as EU commissioner following Vestager’s party’s poor performance in the previous election, as reported by the Financial Times. During her term, Vestager gained a reputation as one of Europe’s leading antitrust authorities, particularly for her tough stance on big tech companies. Her pursuit of market abuse cases led to the creation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), aimed at preventing large companies from exploiting their market dominance. Companies like Apple, Google, and Meta have had to modify their business practices to comply with the DMA, with Google introducing price comparison results in Search and Apple allowing third-party app stores on iOS. Under Vestager, the EU launched investigations into Apple, Alphabet, and Meta’s DMA compliance, with Vestager expressing concerns about Apple’s non-compliance issues. Additionally, Vestager’s decision to order Apple to pay €14.3 billion in taxes was overturned by the EU’s General Court in 2020. The EU also fined Google billions for antitrust violations during Vestager’s tenure. The European Commission is currently searching for Vestager’s replacement, expected to assume office in the autumn.
