Eucrim regularly reports on the EU's major new legislation regulating the digital space, i.e., the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act (→ eucrim 1/2024, 12-13 with further references). The Digital Markets Act (DMA) aims to ensure contestable and fair markets in the digital sector. It regulates gatekeepers: large digital platforms that provide an important gateway between business users and consumers. Their position can grant them the power to act as bottlenecks in the digital economy.

The following is an overview of the latest developments since the news on the DMA in →eucrim 4/2024, 178-179 (covering the period October-December 2024) and in →eucrim 1/2025, 13-14 (covering the period February – April 2025).

• 3 July 2025: The European Commission launches a public consultation for the first review of the DMA. It seeks feedback from citizens, SMEs, business organisations, and other stakeholders on the DMA’s effectiveness, impact, and ability to address emerging challenges such as AI-powered services. The input will feed into the Commission's review report due in May 2026.
• 23 July 2025: The Commission’s services responsible for implementing the DMA sign a Cooperation Arrangement with the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC). Under the EU-Japan Digital Partnership framework, Directors General Roberto Viola (DG CNECT) and Olivier Guersent (DG COMP), representing the European Commission, and Secretary-General Hiroo Iwanari (JFTC) sign the agreement. It will strengthen collaboration to promote contestability, competition, and fairness indigital markets. It will also provide for expert dialogues, staff training, and exchanges of non-confidential information on best practices, challenges, and investigatory tools. The Commission stresses that this cooperation will allow both sides to share expertise in the rapidly evolving field of digital markets and to intensify ties with like-minded international partners.
• 9 October 2025: The Commission and the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) launch a public consultation to gather feedback on draft guidelines addressing the interplay between the DMA and the GDPR. The guidelines aim to help companies interpret and comply with both frameworks, particularly where they intersect - for instance, on data combination, portability, and the operation of alternative app stores and distribution channels. These activities involve personal data processing and must therefore comply with the GDPR. The feedback from stakeholders and civil society will support the final guidelines expected in 2026.