BEREC participates in the second DMA High-Level Group meeting 

On 27 November 2023, the delegates from BEREC along with other members, participated in the second meeting of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) High-Level Group. The participants exchanged views on practical issues concerning the DMA implementation, discussing ways to efficiently address key challenges. Recently the European Commission designated six gatekeepers, granting them a six-month period to achieve compliance with DMA obligations for each designated service. Through its dedicated Working Group, BEREC monitors these steps carefully. Recognizing the crucial role of the DMA in shaping the digital future, BEREC emphasizes its participation in the High-Level Group and considers that its contribution, given its expertise, can be very constructive and beneficial.

Tasks and mandate of the DMA High-Level Group
Upon the European Commission's request, the High-Level Group provides its expertise and advice to ensure that digital markets across the EU comply with the DMA and are fair. The High-Level Group may also provide expertise on market investigations into emerging services and practices to help ensure that the DMA is future-proof. The High-Level Group has a mandate of two years and shall meet at least once per year. The first meeting of the Group took place on 12 May 2023. 

Six of BEREC's members have been nominated to this Group. It also includes representatives from the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and European Data Protection Board, the European Competition Network (ECN), the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC Network), and the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA). 

What is the Digital Markets Act? 
The Digital Markets Act is a centrepiece of the European digital strategy. It will create fairer competition in digital business, increase innovation, and enhance consumer protection. The DMA aims to set clear rules to ensure a level playing field for all digital companies regardless of size. These rules shall facilitate innovation, growth, and competitiveness and help smaller companies and start-ups compete with large players. 
The DMA introduces several obligations for gatekeepers, including the obligation to provide interoperable messaging services and to ensure that users have the right to unsubscribe from core platform services under similar conditions to subscriptions. Furthermore, the DMA prohibits practices such as self-preferencing (i.e. ranking own products or services higher than others) or the reuse of private data collected while providing one service for another. 
These new EU rules apply as of 2 May 2023, but some provisions took effect on 1 November last year when the DMA entered into force.