EU’s Teresa Ribera Looks to Thread the Trans-Atlantic Needle on the DMA

The European Union’s top antitrust enforcer, Teresa Ribera, struck a cautious and conciliatory tone toward the U.S. and U.S. technology companies Wednesday in her first major public appearance in her current role on this side of the Atlantic. Speaking at the Little Tech Competition Summit in Washington, Ribera, the European Commission’s First Executive VP for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, stressed the need to create room in the market for new, European digital entrants through regulation such as the Digital Markets Act, without creating an inhospitable environment for the incumbent technology giants. 

“I’m more like a trans-Atlantic partnership,” she said, distinguishing herself from her predecessor, Denmark’s Margrethe Vestage. “The reason why I think we need to take bold action under the DMA is because we think that, as we’re responsible for these public functions, we need to be sure that opportunities for innovation, for new startups, for new people challenging the incumbents can count on room to perform. But they also need to count on different administrations that cooperate with each other that this may happen.”

The Digital Markets Act, which Ribera is responsible for implementing, has emerged as a flash point between the EU and the Trump Administration, and the object of intense lobbying by U.S. trade officials and technology companies. The summit’s sponsor, tech accelerator Y Combinator, recently sent a letter to the President Trump urging the administration not to retaliate against the DMA with tariffs or other punitive measures.

Related: EU Antitrust Chief Visits Washington Amid Rising Tensions Over Big Tech Regulation

Despite probing by the moderator, Melissa Maxman, a partner with Cohen & Gressler, Ribera declined to be pinned down on specific enforcement actions she may make. “Today’s world is very different from the world of ten years ago. We’re speaking about market forces that already exist,” she said. I can’t figure out how a company that intends to be a long-term, successful company cannot take into account the impact on the society of what they produce, the demands of the society.” At the same time, she added, “my mission letter says we need to make sure we put in place an evolution where the way we implement the competition policy, to be ready to integrate the needs of the consumer, to ensure a level playing field, a functioning open economy, to promote transparency and dedication, and this is what we intend to do.”

Asked how she would define success in her the role, Ribera harkened back to her previous position as Spain’s ecological transition minister. “I come from the green world,” she said. “I like biodiversity. I would like to see a rich, biodiverse digital environment where there is less conflicts and more balance.”