The Commission considers AWS and Azure should be designated gatekeepers

2026-06-25 · Publisher : Commission européenne · Domain : Cloud & DevOps

At the end of its DMA investigations, the Commission communicates its preliminary position: AWS and Microsoft Azure should be designated gatekeepers for their cloud services, although they fall below the quantitative thresholds.

### What changes On 25 June 2026, the European Commission informs Amazon and Microsoft of its **preliminary position**: their cloud services, **AWS** and **Microsoft Azure**, respectively the largest and second-largest cloud services in the Union, should be designated gatekeepers under the **DMA**. It would be the first time the regulation applies to cloud infrastructure. Neither reaches the automatic quantitative thresholds, however. ### Key facts - The Commission finds that both services are "an important gateway" between businesses and their customers in the Union. - Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, says cloud services are "a cornerstone of Europe's economy" and "a prerequisite for AI". - More than half of EU businesses use cloud services. - Amazon and Microsoft can respond before any final decision; the procedure, opened in November 2025, aims for a decision within twelve months. - A designation would impose interoperability and non-discrimination obligations, with fines of up to 10% of worldwide turnover. ### Why it matters If the position is confirmed, European customers of AWS and Azure would gain directly enforceable rules on interoperability, portability and licensing practices, complementing the Data Act. For IT services firms, the final decision expected in autumn 2026 is a calendar point to follow for framework contracts with hyperscalers. ### Takeaway Designating AWS and Azure as gatekeepers is now the Commission's working hypothesis.

Tags : Réglementation, Hyperscaler, Europe, AWS, Azure