EU Court Ruling on Supervision Fees Impacts Meta and TikTok
The European Union’s General Court has ruled that the European Commission must revise its methodology for calculating supervisory fees imposed on major online platforms, impacting companies like Meta and TikTok, reports 24brussels.
This ruling arises from disputes between the platforms and the Commission regarding the fairness of the fee calculations, which were intended to fund the supervisory activities of the EU regarding “very large online platforms” that have over 45 million users within the bloc.
The court determined that the Commission should have established a clear set of guidelines for calculating user numbers prior to finalizing the fee structure. The judges have mandated that the Commission must draft this new set of guidelines within a year; otherwise, it risks refunding fees collected in 2023.
In response to the ruling, the EU Commission emphasized that the court’s decision was procedural, rather than an indictment of the underlying methodology. “The Court confirms our methodology is sound: no error in calculation, no suspension of any payments, no problem with the principle of the fee nor the amount,” stated spokesperson Thomas Regnier.
Meta issued a statement asserting that the judgment will compel the European Commission to reconsider its method for calculating these DSA fees, expressing anticipation that the identified flaws will be rectified.
Meanwhile, TikTok expressed satisfaction with the ruling and intends to monitor the ongoing developments closely, according to spokesperson Paolo Ganino.
