Answer given by Executive Vice-President Vestager on behalf of the European Commission

9.8.2023

The Commission is committed to ensure a level playing field and the full respect of European competition rules in the digital sector to allow innovative digital businesses to grow within the Single Market and compete globally.

Concerning the first two questions, the Commission on 27 July 2023 opened a formal investigation to assess whether Microsoft may have breached EU competition rules by tying or bundling its communication and collaboration product Teams to its popular suites for businesses Office 365 and Microsoft 365.

At this stage, the Commission cannot give any further indication on its ongoing investigation and assessment, including on possible findings of an abuse or potential remedies.

That said, in evaluating any possible remedy, the Commission of course draws from past experience, including from other digital antitrust cases.

Concerning the third question, the duration of an antitrust investigation depends on a number of factors, including the complexity of the case, the extent to which the undertaking concerned cooperates with the Commission and the exercise of the rights of defence.

The Commission is currently in the process of evaluating its antitrust procedural framework to ensure they remain fit for purpose, in light of changes in market dynamics since the adoption of Regulations 1/2003 and 773/2004, such as the digitisation of the global economy, which has increased the potential tension between prompt, effective intervention and the complexity of antitrust proceedings.

More information on the evaluation process is available on the Commission’s website[1].

• [1] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/13431-EU-antitrust-procedural-rules-evaluation_en