Key EU lawmaker aims for April pact on rules to rein in tech giants

FILE PHOTO: European Parliament member Andreas Schwab delivers a speech during a debate on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France December 14, 2021. Jean-Francois Badias/Pool via REUTERS

STRASBOURG (Reuters) - Landmark EU rules aimed at curbing the power of U.S. tech giants could be agreed between lawmakers and EU countries as soon as April, with sticking points expected to be thrashed out in coming weeks, a key lawmaker leading the talks said on Tuesday.

Known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the rules proposed by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager just over a year ago set out a list of dos and don'ts for online gatekeepers - companies that control data and access to their platforms - reinforced by fines of up to 10% of global turnover.