EU and U.S. discuss 'mutual interest' in antitrust legislation

"Associate Attorney General Gupta also conveyed Attorney General Garland's strong commitment to an aggressive antitrust enforcement program."

What you need to know

• The U.S. and EU have spoken to discuss their joint interest in antitrust legislation.
• U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta spoke with European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager
• The two also discussed digital market cases, and the U.S. reiterated its "strong commitment to an aggressive antitrust enforcement program."

The U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta has spoken with EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager to discuss their mutual interest in antitrust legislation and digital market cases, the United States Department of Justice says.

In a release Monday the DOJ stated "U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta this morning spoke with European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager. In their inaugural conversation, the two leaders discussed the Justice Department and European Commission's mutual interest in promoting competition in a fair, global marketplace and building stronger transatlantic cooperation on justice issues and antitrust enforcement."

The first phone call between the two comes as Apple faces intense antitrust scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic. The EU continues to investigate Apple Pay and the App Store and has already passed judgment on how Apple competes with music streaming services like Spotify.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., lawmakers are proposing sweeping new antitrust legsilation that would affect the iOS App Store on devices like the iPhone 12, Apple's best iPhone, along with other products like iPad, with provisions to stop the company giving their own products preferential treatment and making it harder to buy other companies.

The DOJ says the pair also discussed "discussed important ongoing investigations, digital market cases, and policy proposals" and that Gupta relayed "Attorney General Garland's strong commitment to an aggressive antitrust enforcement program."

The two reportedly agreed to keep sharing expertise and ideas in a move it says will "benefit the people and economies of both jurisdictions."