Joint Guidelines on the Interplay between the Digital Markets Act and the General Data Protection Regulation
From The Embassy of Good Science
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Joint Guidelines on the Interplay between the Digital Markets Act and the General Data Protection Regulation
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What is this about?
This document is a draft policy guideline produced jointly by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and the European Commission to explain how two major EU laws the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) should work together in practice. The DMA regulates large digital platforms (“gatekeepers”) to promote fair competition, while the GDPR protects personal data and privacy rights. Their goals, scope, and legal bases differ, but in many cases they overlap for example when gatekeepers process or share personal data in ways that affect competition and data protection. These guidelines clarify how DMA obligations intersect with GDPR requirements on consent, data processing, portability, access rights, interoperability, and anonymisation. The aim is to ensure both sets of rules are applied consistently and coherently, reducing legal uncertainty for companies and protecting individuals’ data rights. The document was open for public consultation until 4 December 2025, with the final version planned for adoption in 2026.
Why is this important?
The guidelines matter because they address a real legal gap: large digital platforms must comply with both competition-focused DMA rules and privacy-focused GDPR rules, but without clear guidance there can be confusion or even conflicting interpretations. These joint guidelines help ensure that organisations know how to apply both regimes in ways that protect individual rights under the GDPR while meeting DMA competition obligations. This boosts legal clarity, compliance certainty, and enforcement coherence across EU law especially for “gatekeepers” whose data practices directly affect consumers, businesses, and markets.
For whom is this important?
Large digital platforms (“gatekeepers”)Privacy and compliance officers in EU companiesNational data protection authorities and enforcersBusiness users and third parties using gatekeeper platformsIndividuals/data subjects in the EU
