Mapping continuity and change of goals, protagonists and instruments of EU digital single market governance over three decades

Against the background of the increasing importance of digital services, the European Commission is creating a Digital Single Market (DSM) to make Europe fit for the digital age. However, challenges related to the platform-dominated e-commerce sector, such as distorted competition and endangered fundamental rights, suggest that its traditional market-liberal governance is not suitable for the digital economy. Based on a historical-institutional analysis of selected Commission policies and legislation on the DSM since the mid-1990s, I illustrate that key DSM governance elements continue the market-liberal principles established over 25 years ago and implemented in the Lisbon period (2000-2010). The DSM period (2010-2020) added some more interventionist layers in the area of data protection. More recently, to address the challenges of “Big Tech†in the early 2020s, the EU is building on these layers and converts its governance approach towards more public interventionist elements. This ultimately empowers the European Commission to supervise very large online platforms.