Brussels – With just one month left until the deadline for gatekeepers to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) today launched “Voices for the DMA.” This initiative features a wide range of stakeholders including MEPs, associations, civil society organizations, and businesses advocating for effective DMA enforcement to finally open up the mobile app ecosystem to competition and consumer choice. The videos articulate what stakeholders are looking forward to most with an effective DMA. The videos are available on the Coalition’s website.
“The Digital Markets Act is a historic law that has the potential to truly bring competition to the mobile app ecosystem that has been dominated by two gatekeepers – Apple and Google – for years,” said Rick VanMeter, Executive Director of the Coalition for App Fairness. “But as we approach the deadline for compliance, Apple has made it clear that they intend to evade the law and we have yet to see what Google is planning. Policymakers, organizations and developers are making their voices heard to highlight the need for effective DMA compliance that creates a fair, innovative, and competitive mobile app ecosystem for everyone.”
In a video, Andreas Schwab, member of the European Parliament and rapporteur on the Digital Markets Act said: “The Digital Markets Act is a new and innovative law because it creates rules for gatekeepers to make sure that they cannot block the entry to specific markets.”
Vanessa Turner from BEUC said: “Speaking from the point of view of the consumer, the DMA should help deliver more choice and protection to consumers online. It should give consumers more control of their privacy, more choice in the apps and services they use, and better results when searching and shopping. But this will only happen if the Big Tech companies play by the rules and if the European Commission holds them to account.”
Marianne Tordeux Bitker from France Digitale said: “Right now, what matters is implementation. We have seen that certain companies, such as Apple, have made proposals that are completely unacceptable. These companies just continue their anti-competitive practices. We at France Digitale will pay particular attention to the fact that these competition rules are respected everywhere in Europe.”
Luis Hernandez from Uptodown said: “If we want the mobile industry to be a place of opportunity and innovation, we must protect the right of users to choose their app sources and empower developers to share their work freely.”
Luc Delany from the Mobile Games Intelligence Forum said: “I would like to see European citizens benefit from real competition created by the Digital Markets Act. Allow people to download apps from the places that they want to and allow business to connect directly with their customer, without middlemen charging exorbitant fees and dictating how they can and can’t connect to their customers.
The following individuals and organizations are featured in the videos.
- Schibsted
- Cafeyn
- The European DIGITAL SME ALLIANCE
- France Digitale
- Blockchain.com
- European Publishers Council
- Uptodown
- Mustang
- Open Web Advocacy
- European Games Developer Federation
- Mobile Games Intelligence
- BEUC
- Bits of Freedom
- Article 19
- The Online Dating and Discovery Association
- Paddle
- Heureka
- Rik Viergever (individual Entrepreneur)
- MEP Carlos Zorrinho (Portugal, Socialists & Democrats)
- MEP Karen Melchior (Denmark, Renew Europe)
- MEP Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (France, Renew Europe)
- MEP Andreas Schwab (Germany, European People’s Party)
They work for or represent organizations based in the following 12 countries: Norway; England; Portugal; Denmark; France; Belgium, Germany; Spain; Australia; The Netherlands; Sweden, Czech Republic.
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The Coalition for App Fairness is an independent nonprofit organization formed to protect consumer choice, foster competition, and create a level playing field for all app and game developers globally. Originally formed by Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain.com, Deezer, Epic Games, the European Publishers Council, Match Group, News Media Europe, Prepear, Proton, Skydemon, Spotify, and Tile, CAF has rapidly grown from 13 to over 70 members since launching in September 2020. CAF offers membership to companies of any size — join today at appfairness.org.