EU Commission VP Teresa Ribera on Microsoft's promise to comply with its rules: 'I think it's much more valuable to...'

The European Union (EU) has responded to Microsoft 's promise to comply with its rules. EU Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera stated that it is "much more valuable" that Microsoft will abide by European rules. This follows Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith telling the European Commission that the company will follow European rules, regardless of agreement. Ribera said this while talking to the media to address issues including digital competition, trade, and the recent electricity outage in Spain and Portugal. She even praised Microsoft's approach to adhering to EU regulations.


What EU Commission VP Teresa Ribera said about Microsoft’s approach


"I think it's much more valuable to acknowledge that it's about complying with the rules if we want to operate in this market and we're going to respect them, rather than just saying 'you're targeting me because I'm American'," Ribera said as reported by the news agency Reuters.

She added that the Commission has encountered both approaches in meetings with various stakeholders. Last month, Microsoft announced it would sell its Teams chat and video app separately from its Office suite worldwide—six months after unbundling them in Europe to sidestep a potential EU antitrust fine. It came after Salesforce-owned Slack had filed a complaint with the European Commission over Microsoft’s previous practice of tying Teams to Office.

"We are talking about operators that have been accumulating a significant concentration of power, and about a third of their global revenues are produced in Europe," Ribera added.

Meanwhile, when questioned on trade tensions with the US, Ribera responded that the EU is trying to avoid a trade war but “not at any price.”

Last month, Microsoft President Brad Smith reaffirmed the company’s dedication to upholding European regulations, emphasising that “even when we've lost cases in European courts, Microsoft has long respected and complied with European laws.”

Speaking in Brussels amid rising US–EU trade tensions after President Trump’s tariff threats, Smith outlined five digital commitments to Europe, which include full adherence to the Digital Markets Act and underscored that just as local laws govern US operations, European laws govern Microsoft’s business practices in Europe.