Competition in the european internet: Digital markets act

The Digital Markets Act is a regulation representing one of the first steps taken by the European Union take in the context of the legislative package Digital Services Act, a cumulation of rules designed to regulate the activity of economic operators in the digital space and to protect their end consumers. The Digital Markets Act was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in autumn 2022 and has been in force since spring 2023. The new regulation is a starting point for the transposition into legislation of the Union's technology policies and complements the competition rules in the sector. Therefore, it is interesting to follow the impact that such a legislative act will have, as this instrument has only just begun to be used by the Commission, which recently issued the first decisions on its basis, in September 2023. The normative act introduces new positive and negative obligations for the companies concerned, the interest of the latter being to ensure their compliance with other standards, especially because the sanctions provided for the violation of the provisions are calculated progressively, according to a calculation formula that could lead to exorbitant values. The Regulation seems to be a common amendment of the European legislative area, as the use of certain digital platforms has become essential for any company, but also natural for consumers. However, certain specific elements raise questions, at least from the point of view of the option to legislate in this regard. In addition, it is very likely that in the near future the Union will introduce new regulations in the field, regulations that will certainly affect the activity of major players in the tech sphere of the economy.