Sittings · Document
Question for oral answer O-000016/2026
to the Commission
Rule 142
Anna Cavazzini on behalf of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Andreas Schwab on behalf of the PPE Group
Subject: Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) establishes a harmonised ex ante framework to ensure fair and contestable digital markets in the EU and to prevent unfair gatekeeping practices before harm occurs. Its effectiveness depends not only on formal compliance, but also on tangible real-world outcomes for end users and business users, including their ability to effectively exercise the rights conferred by the regulation.
Early implementation of the DMA confirms its importance in improving market openness, competition and user choice, while also highlighting challenges related to the timeliness of enforcement, information asymmetries and the practical effectiveness of compliance solutions. At the same time, technological developments, including AI-driven functionalities and cloud-based services, are reshaping digital ecosystems and may give rise to new forms of lock-in and foreclosure; in this context, cloud computing plays an increasingly strategic role for AI, yet no providers have so far been designated as gatekeepers under the DMA.
Against this background, and in the light of the forthcoming review of the regulation, the Commission is asked:
1. How does the Commission assess whether current DMA enforcement actions are delivering effective real-world outcomes in terms of market openness, contestability, innovation and user choice, beyond formal or technical compliance by gatekeepers?
2. How does the Commission explain the lengthy duration of ongoing DMA investigations and non-compliance proceedings, and what concrete measures does it intend to take to ensure more timely and effective enforcement, including through greater transparency on procedural timelines, key milestones and expected next steps, while fully respecting procedural rights?
3. How is the Commission ensuring that the DMA is applied to AI-driven services and cloud-based infrastructure in a consistent and future-proof manner, so as to prevent new forms of lock-in or gatekeeping, including situations where gatekeepers may leverage privileged access to key inputs for AI – such as data, computing capacity or cloud infrastructure – to restrict emerging AI developers or innovative services, and how does it assess, at a horizontal level, whether providers of such services meet the criteria for gatekeeper designation, including through market investigations where appropriate?
4. Does the Commission consider that it currently has sufficient human and technical resources to enforce the DMA in a timely and effective manner, and how will the enforcement experience to date – including lessons learned regarding the duration and effectiveness of investigations – feed into the forthcoming review of the regulation to ensure that it remains enforceable and operationally effective without reopening its core objectives or architecture?
Submitted: 27.3.2026
Lapses: 28.6.2026