Apple and Meta face fines while EU seeks to avoid US tensions

EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said recently the bloc won’t shy away from taking on Silicon Valley firms for fear of retaliation

Meta is expected to be fined next week under the Digital Markets Act over its ad-free services on Instagram and Facebook. File Picture: Yui Mok/PA

Apple and Meta are set be hit by fines under the European Union’s Big Tech competition rulebook toward the end of next week, with the iPhone maker facing the added threat of recurring penalties under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.

EU regulators will likely dole out relatively modest fines against the two American tech firms, compared to antitrust penalties of the past, according to people familiar with the matter.