Brussels leaves its claws with an investigation on Apple which is suspected of abuse of dominant position and a change of tone vis-à-vis China. Europe does not want to let it go.
Anyone who thrives on accusing Brussels of being soft against the United States or China will have to revise their judgment.
This Wednesday morning, two heavyweights of the Commission, Margrethe Vestager and Thierry Breton, open fire against the countries which are offering us unfair competition. China is obviously in the sights, especially when Beijing subsidizes its companies to help them win foreign markets. "We have to get out of naivety" says Thierry Breton. Concretely, if it is discovered that a foreign company has received state aid, Brussels could force it to sell the assets it bought in Europe, block other acquisitions or prevent it from gaining access to public procurement.
The whole business strategy is being rethought.
The tide is turning. With the departure of the British, the free traders have lead in the wing. Europe wants to remain open, of course, but open to those who respect our rules, nuance. Concrete case: after Google, sentenced to 8 billion euros fine for abuse of a dominant position, Brussels is now attacking Apple on the same ground. Apple is accused of discriminatory practices against Spotify, the streaming platform of Swedish origin. Europe is also opening an investigation into Apple Pay, also suspected of abusing its position. The message is clear: Europe is the largest market in the world, to access it, we must respect our rules. Naive Europe, it's over.