Teaming up: how the DMA could be combined with development banks to improve the contestability of digital markets in Europe
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47975/ijdl.v7.1323Keywords:
Digital Markets Act; market contestability; development finance; structural remedies; competition policy integration.Abstract
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) entered into force in May 2023. Early enforcement actions by the European Commission are already impacting the digital markets. Apple was fined in €500 million and Meta in €200 million. The DMA emerged from the recognition that traditional antitrust law, with its ex post and case specific remedies, was inadequate to address systemic and fast-moving challenges of digital platform markets. By introducing ex ante obligations, the DMA seeks to ensure fairness and contestability, the latter referring to the capacity of new entrants to overcome entry barriers and compete with gatekeepers on the merits.
This article hypothesizes that the contestability objective of the DMA has not yet been integrated with the investment strategies of European development banks, despite their potential role in fostering competitive digital ecosystems. To test this, the study analyzes
The annual reports of major nations development banks in Germany, France, Italy and Spain (Europe’s largest economies), as well as the region’s leading multilateral development bank. The analysis aims to assess whether financing and investment decisions align with the DMA’s structural goals of promoting contestable and fair digital markets, thereby connecting regulatory design with industrial and financial policy instruments.
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