The European Commission preliminarily designated Amazon and Microsoft as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for their cloud computing services.
The change follows preliminary reports and two market investigations launched in November 2025. It focused on Amazon’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure (Azure). Both companies can make their case to the Commission to change the preliminary findings.
Commenting on the decision, Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech, said, “Given their central role in Europe’s digital future, these services must operate in fair, open and competitive markets that foster trust and secure Europe’s tech sovereignty.”
If both are confirmed as gatekeepers, both companies will have to comply with EU regulations on the matter within six months. The DMA primarily ensures that digital companies behave in ways that maintain a fair and competitive sector. Gatekeeper companies are tech companies with strong market share that can influence the entire sector, thereby incurring an added level of scrutiny and responsibility.
Both AWS and Azure fail to meet the DMA’s quantitative thresholds for being gatekeepers. However, being the largest and the second-largest cloud computing services in the EU have been considered too important as gateways between businesses and customers, with entrenched and durable positions in the EU cloud sector. Also, their growing role in AI tools makes them both important within the bloc.
“In Europe, we are increasingly reliant on cloud computing services. From consumers to business large and small, to public administrations. These services will only continue to grow in importance, which is why it essential that we ensure a well-functioning and competitive market, and a level playing field for all cloud service providers,” said Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Competition, explaining the position of the Commission.
