The DMA at Three: Blueprint for Competition Law or Roadblock for Innovation?

Three years after taking effect, the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) is up for its legislative review in 2026. While for many, the DMA has become the landmark legislation in digital competition policy, others argue that it imposes disproportionate costs on large service providers, or “gatekeepers”, in ensuring compliance, thereby hindering innovation. The DMA is not solely a European issue but has geoeconomic and particularly transatlantic implications as five out of seven gatekeepers targeted by the DMA are U.S. tech companies. The European Commission’s ongoing review of the DMA is an opportunity to take stock of its effects, enforcement patterns and procedural challenges.

In partnership with Apple, and together with our guests, we want to discuss the challenges of balancing regulation and innovation, the impact on competitiveness and consumer experience, and the different approaches to digital regulation in Europe and elsewhere.

Speakers:

• Gary Davis, Senior Director, Regulatory Legal, Apple
• Dr. Thorsten Käseberg, Head of Department, General Issues of Competition Policy, Competition Law, Competition Policy Issues of Digitalization, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Moderator:

• Johannes Kuhn, Editor-in-chief, Tagesspiegel Background Digitization & AI

We would like to thank Apple for the cooperation.