Interoperability in the Digital Markets Act - Joint letter to the European Commission

A group of European technology firms and civil society organisations, including PI, calls on the European Commission to support a strong ex ante interoperability requirement for dominant “gatekeeper” firms in the forthcoming proposal for a Digital Markets Act.

Advocacy

Post date

11th December 2020

Image by Guillaume Périgois via unsplash

An interoperability requirement for “gatekeeper” firms would:

give a fair chance for competition on the merits of new services.
contribute to meeting the three key objectives of the Commission’s February 2020 Digital Future Communication: ensuring technology works for people; a fair and competitive economy and an open, democratic and sustainable society.

As the letter notes, "major digital competition reviews over the last two years [...] have recommended interoperability requirements. The German Government’s draft competition law revisions, including a power for the Federal Cartel Office to impose interoperability requirements, are expected to be passed by the Bundestag this month. The French National Assembly has already passed a bill on consumer freedoms in cyberspace, including interoperability requirements. And the UK Government is moving ahead with a Digital Markets Unit proposed by its Competition and Markets Authority after an exhaustive market study, which has also recommended interoperability as the principal remedy to reintroduce competition to social media."

The signatories to this letter urge the European Commission to support a strong ex ante interoperability requirement for dominant “gatekeeper” firms in the forthcoming proposal for a Digital Markets Act.

Attachments

Interoperability EVP Vestager.pdf

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