Microsoft Aligns with EU Rules as Antitrust Pressure Mounts

Microsoft has assured the EU’s European Commission that it will adhere to the bloc’s regulatory framework, regardless of its own views on the rules, according to a statement from Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera.

Ribera, speaking to reporters on Monday, addressed a range of issues including digital market competition, EU-U.S. trade relations, and last week’s large-scale power outage in parts of Spain and Portugal. She highlighted Microsoft’s stance as a constructive example of how international tech companies should approach compliance within the European Union.

“I think it’s much more valuable to acknowledge that it’s about complying with the rules if we want to operate in this market and we’re going to respect them, rather than just saying ‘you’re targeting me because I’m American’,” Ribera said. She noted that the Commission has witnessed varying levels of cooperation from global digital firms, indicating that Microsoft’s position reflects a more cooperative posture.

Per Reuters by the Commission, this commitment comes in the context of ongoing regulatory scrutiny of dominant digital platforms. Microsoft is among the companies that have come under investigation for practices that may violate European competition laws. In a related move, the tech giant announced last month that it would globally decouple its Teams communication software from its Office productivity suite. This decision follows a similar unbundling within the EU made six months prior, a step taken to potentially avoid antitrust penalties.

Read more: Copyright Lawsuits Against OpenAI and Microsoft Consolidated in New York

The unbundling was initiated after a complaint from Slack, a rival platform owned by Salesforce, which alleged that Microsoft’s previous bundling practice harmed competition. According to Reuters from the Commission, such practices are under heightened examination as regulators seek to curtail the concentration of market power among a few dominant players. Ribera emphasized that approximately one-third of these companies’ worldwide earnings come from the European market, underscoring the region’s leverage in enforcing digital rules.

When questioned about broader trade dynamics with the United States, Ribera expressed the EU’s preference to maintain constructive relations but clarified that the bloc would not compromise its regulatory principles. “Not at any price,” she stated, referring to the EU’s resolve in balancing fair trade with sovereignty over its internal market standards.

The Commission’s dialogue with Microsoft reflects the EU’s broader push to enforce digital competition rules under frameworks such as the Digital Markets Act, as it seeks to create a fairer and more open online environment for businesses and consumers alike.

Source: Reuters