The European Commission announced its preliminary conclusion that the technology giant abuses its dominant position for its Apple Pay electronic payment service, a mechanism imposed on users of its cell phones.
The Commission, the executive arm of the European Union (EU), pointed out that the technology giant “restricts competition in the digital wallet market” on its mobile phones, and that this would be illegal under European competition rules.
Specifically, the Community Executive sent the technological giant a statement of objections in which it defends that it is an “illegal” practice, contrary to European competition rules, and aims to favor its own contactless payment solution (contactless, Apple Pay.
“It is important for the integration of European payment markets that consumers can benefit from a competitive and innovative environment. We have evidence that Apple restricted third-party access to key technology needed to develop e-wallet solutions on Apple devices”, explained the Executive Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, at a press conference.
rml (efe, afp, ap, reuters)