EU examines cloud competition under the Digital Markets Act

The European Commission has held a stakeholder roundtable on cloud computing services as part of its ongoing market investigation under the Digital Markets Act.

The roundtable brought together cloud providers, business users, software providers and technical experts to discuss practices that may affect contestability and fairness in cloud markets.

Discussions focused on interoperability and technical features, financial conditions, and contractual and commercial practices.

Participants examined practical technical, commercial and regulatory approaches that could reduce switching barriers, improve interoperability and strengthen customer choice.

The Commission said the roundtable forms part of a fact-finding exercise to assess whether current DMA obligations are effective in addressing practices that limit competitiveness or are unfair in the cloud sector.

The process is separate from the Commission’s pending investigations into the potential designation of two cloud providers.

The Commission said it will publish a report setting out its findings within 18 months of opening the investigation, and no later than May 2027.

Why does it matter?

Cloud computing is now a core layer of Europe’s digital infrastructure, supporting AI, public services, software markets and enterprise operations. Switching barriers, restrictive contracts or weak interoperability can lock customers into specific providers and reduce competition across the wider digital economy. The Commission’s investigation shows that DMA enforcement is moving beyond consumer-facing platforms towards the infrastructure markets that underpin AI and digital services.

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