Focus Europe

“Focus Europe” features studies of strategic developments and security issues in Europe, the progress of India-EU relations, and India’s ties with major European powers. 

This month the authors examine Europe’s regulatory approach to Big Tech platforms operating within its jurisdiction. 

In recent years, the European Union has built a robust digital rulebook, pairing strong privacy protections with heightened competition and platform oversight. 

The General Data Protection Regulation, in force since 2018, laid the foundation, while the more recent Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act took these efforts further by addressing systemic risks online and constraining gatekeeper power. 

Together, these measures aim to curb harmful practices, ranging from illegal content and manipulative design to abuses of market dominance, that undermine competition and user welfare.  

The Commission’s €120 million fine on X on December 5, 2025 illustrates this enforcement posture.  

At the same time, concerns persist that overly restrictive or unpredictable rules may impose high compliance costs, weaken incentives to innovate, and slow growth. As these measures disproportionately affect U.S.-based firms, the debate has increasingly acquired a transatlantic dimension.

The policy challenge, therefore, centres on smart calibration: regulation that is clear, predictable and proportionate; protecting legitimate public interests, while enabling innovation; and ensuring that technological progress delivers inclusive and sustainable outcomes. 

To read this Focus Europe, Vol. I, Issue 6, please see the PDF attached.