Cristina Caffarra criticises DMA pace

Cristina Caffarra is attacking the pace of European Union Digital Markets Act enforcement after Brussels sent Google another set of preliminary measures on Search data sharing. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) (cristinacaffarra.com) The European Commission said on 16 April 2026 that Google should let third-party search engines access ranking, query, click and view data on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. The proposal also covers who qualifies for access, how often data must be shared, and how personal data must be anonymised. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Artificial intelligence chatbots with search functions are explicitly listed as possible data beneficiaries. The Commission opened a public consultation on the draft measures and is collecting comments before moving to a binding decision. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) (dig.watch) The Digital Markets Act is the European Union rulebook for “gatekeepers,” the biggest platforms that control access to digital markets. In this case, Brussels is trying to force open a data advantage that helps Google Search stay ahead of smaller rivals. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) (grcreport.com) That is the gap Caffarra has been pressing on for months. In May 2025, she said the DMA was being “neutralised by long procedures,” and argued that cases against Big Tech had achieved “absolutely nothing” in starting effective dialogue. (brusselssignal.eu) The timing is what sharpens her criticism. Google’s gatekeeper obligations under the DMA started applying on 7 March 2024, but the Commission only opened these specification proceedings on 27 January 2026. (thepaypers.com) (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) This is also separate from the Commission’s March 2025 preliminary findings against Alphabet over self-preferencing in Google Search and steering restrictions in Google Play. Those findings said Google Search favored Alphabet’s own services and that Google Play limited app developers’ ability to direct users to better offers elsewhere. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Google has pushed back on the newer search-data proposal. Company representatives told reporters the measures would raise privacy and security risks and could expose valuable search technology to rivals, according to contemporaneous coverage of the Commission’s move. (theregister.com) (searchenginejournal.com) The Commission’s current timetable runs to 1 May 2026 for consultation feedback and 27 July 2026 for a final decision. Caffarra’s complaint is that Brussels is still writing the rulebook for access after more than two years of DMA enforcement. (dig.watch) (thepaypers.com)