Big Tech Campaigns for ‘Open Digital Ecosystems’ in Europe

Google, Meta and other tech firms are lobbying for open digital ecosystems in Europe.

The two companies are part of the seven-member Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE), formed in response to new regulations such as the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, Reuters reported Wednesday (Dec. 13).

According to the report, CODE says it wants to champion more open platforms and systems to fuel innovation and growth in the EU.

The coalition plans to collaborate with academics, policymakers and companies on digital openness and how this can be achieved in the EU “through the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and in future EU regulatory framework developments.”

Approved last year, the DMA creates obligations for large online platforms that act as “gatekeepers” (in that their dominant online position makes it hard to avoid them) on the digital market to promote a fairer business environment and more services for consumers.

In September, the European Commission (EC) named six tech giants as “gatekeepers” under the DMA: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft. The commission gave the companies six months to comply with the law.

“Under the DMA, the European Commission can designate digital platforms as ‘gatekeepers’ if they provide an important gateway between businesses and consumers in relation to core platform services,” the EC said in a news release.

Some companies have pushed back against the gatekeeper designation, with Meta and ByteDance filing legal challenges last month. Microsoft and Google on the other hand, have decided to accept their gatekeeper status without challenge. 

Aside from Google and Meta, other members of CODE include Qualcomm and Motorola, Chinese firms Honor and Lenovo, U.K. electronics company Nothing, Norwegian tech firm Opera, Wire, a messaging services provider from Germany, and French mixed reality startup Lynx. 

“We have had a number of conversations in the past few months about what ‘good’ looks like when it comes to digital ecosystems in Europe, what fosters innovation, and what will positively impact competitiveness. We think openness is the crucial element,” Lynx founder Stan Larroque said in a statement.

The Reuters report says CODE aims to open up digital ecosystems via cross-industry collaboration and foster seamless connectivity and interoperable systems.