MLex I Vestager must take Microsoft action before leaving EU Commission, French lawmaker says

Microsoft should face antitrust intervention before EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager leaves her post with "effective remedies" to benefit the messaging system Slack, a leading French parliamentarian has said. Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, a center-right lawmaker prominent in the European Parliament's review of competition policy, wants the European Commission to launch a probe into Microsoft over its cloud-based Office software or enforce changes to the business practices. 

Microsoft should face antitrust intervention before EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager leaves her post with "effective remedies" to benefit the messaging system Slack, a leading French parliamentarian has said.

 Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, a center-right lawmaker prominent in the European Parliament's review of competition policy, wants the EU antitrust regulator to launch a probe into Microsoft over its cloud-based Office software or enforce changes to the business practices. 

 Slack offers a messaging interface and is especially popular in companies. In July 2020 it accused Microsoft of tying its messaging platform Teams to its omnipresent Office software suite. Among other allegations, Slack said Microsoft was “force-installing” Teams and was “blocking its removal” to steer users toward its own service.

 Microsoft has rejected the accusations. It has faced other complaints from cloud-computing companies and satisfied some of their concerns with voluntary changes. 

 Yon-Courtin, a former competition lawyer with the French national watchdog and two international law firms, said action from the European Commission was too long in coming. "We are still left with an antitrust complaint with no meaningful action taken for three years," she said. 

 "Given the determination of executive vice-president Vestager during these past two terms, she cannot leave a case with [neither a] concrete outcome nor effective remedies before she leaves.

" Vestager is considering a possible move to the European Investment Bank later this year, and may have only a few months left in office. 

"Time is of the essence and we still need bold decisions on antitrust cases in parallel to the Digital Markets Act," Yon-Courtin said, referring to a new EU law designed to lessen the power of large tech companies. "It's time to have the courage to use remedies not used before and that will really make a difference.

" Yon-Courtin has sent a letter to Vestager, saying the commissioner should either open a formal probe or seek formal commitments from Microsoft to change its business. She said Vestager's pursuit of a career outside the commission might "potentially cause additional delays in the process."

 A spokesperson for Microsoft said: "We continue to engage cooperatively with the commission in its investigation, and are open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well." 

 The commission didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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