Apple may face antitrust penalties from the European Union if it does not address alleged violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by June 26, 2025 according to sources.

The EU’s concerns focus on Apple’s restriction of developers from informing customers about cheaper alternatives outside its App Store.

If the issue remains unresolved, Apple could incur fines of up to 5% of its average daily global revenue for each day of non-compliance under the DMA.

An EU Commission spokesperson stated that Apple has time to propose a resolution.

However, regulators have significant enforcement powers if the company fails to comply.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ EU’s escalating tech enforcement reveals a deliberate regulatory evolution

The current Apple case represents the latest development in the EU’s increasingly aggressive tech regulation strategy, not just an isolated incident.

Since 2017, the European Commission has systematically escalated both penalties and enforcement scope, imposing over $9.5 billion in fines against Google alone across three major cases targeting different aspects of its business 1.

While early actions focused primarily on monetary penalties, recent enforcement has shifted toward demanding structural business changes, from Google’s Android licensing practices to Apple’s App Store policies, showing the EU’s growing confidence in dictating how tech companies should operate 2.

The Digital Markets Act further demonstrates this evolution by establishing preset rules for “gatekeepers” rather than relying on reactive case-by-case investigations, allowing for faster enforcement and potentially more meaningful outcomes 3.

This persistent regulatory pressure reflects the EU’s distinctive approach to digital markets, focusing on intervention to ensure competition rather than allowing market forces to operate freely, creating a regulatory template other regions are increasingly considering.

2️⃣ Financial penalties face effectiveness questions as compliance costs rise

While the EU’s potential daily fines of 5% of Apple’s global daily revenue represent a significant escalation, historical evidence raises questions about whether even substantial penalties drive meaningful business changes.

Previous major penalties, including Google’s €4.34 billion Android fine and Apple’s €1.8 billion music streaming fine, represented small fractions of these companies’ annual revenues, potentially explaining why many tech giants initially choose to pay fines while challenging rulings rather than fundamentally altering their business models 4.

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