The European Union has imposed modest fines on tech giants Apple and Meta under its new Digital Markets Act (DMA), signaling its intent to enforce landmark digital regulations while carefully managing rising trade tensions with the United States.
As reported by the Financial Times, Brussels fined Apple €500 million and ordered the company to revise its App Store rules within two months. The fine follows an investigation into Apple’s alleged restrictions preventing app developers from directing users to external offers outside the App Store — a practice regulators say could stifle competition and consumer choice.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was hit with a €200 million fine over its controversial “pay or consent” model, which gives users the option to either allow data tracking or pay for an ad-free version of its services. EU regulators have now demanded changes to this model.
Under the DMA, companies can face penalties of up to 10% of their global annual revenue — potentially billions of euros for these digital behemoths. However, the European Commission opted for significantly lower fines, a move viewed as an effort to strike a “firm but balanced” tone while avoiding direct confrontation with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We have taken firm but balanced enforcement action against both companies, based on clear and predictable rules,” said Teresa Ribera, the EU’s competition chief. “All companies operating in the EU must follow our laws and respect European values.”
The fines come just weeks after a temporary 90-day suspension of Trump’s proposed “reciprocal tariff” plan, which had threatened to escalate into a broader trade conflict with Europe. EU officials hope that a measured approach to DMA enforcement might ease mounting diplomatic friction.
The new European Commission, which assumed office in December, is reportedly more focused on ensuring compliance with the law rather than aggressively pursuing record-breaking fines.
Still, the DMA has emerged as a flashpoint in transatlantic relations. Earlier this month, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the EU might retaliate against U.S. tariffs by targeting American services exports, including operations of Big Tech firms in Europe. Trump, who has long criticized EU antitrust actions, has previously referred to such penalties as “overseas extortion” and “a form of taxation.”
Both companies signaled their intent to fight back. Apple announced it would appeal the ruling, calling it “yet another example of the European Commission unfairly targeting Apple in a series of decisions that are bad for the privacy and security of our users, bad for products, and force us to give away our technology for free.”
Meta’s chief lobbyist Joel Kaplan accused the Commission of trying to “handicap successful American businesses” while allowing foreign competitors to play by different rules. “The commission forcing us to change our business model effectively imposes a multibillion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service,” he said.
While the financial penalties may be low, Brussels has left the door open to further sanctions. The Commission announced it would continue to scrutinize Apple’s contractual terms, particularly its restriction on third-party app stores and sideloading — both central concerns in the DMA framework.
Additionally, two other investigations into Apple and Meta have been closed without further sanctions, but EU officials hinted that ongoing compliance will be closely monitored. In two months, the Commission will reassess whether both companies have taken sufficient steps to comply with the law — or face more severe, possibly recurring penalties.
