The Teams platform will be independent from Office

The EU Commission has accepted commitments from US IT giant Microsoft to address concerns about the integration of Teams into the Office 365 and Microsoft 365 business suites.

The company will offer versions without Teams at a reduced price, enable data portability, and ensure interoperability with competing products. "This decision," said Commission Vice President Ribera, "opens up competition in a crucial market and allows businesses to freely choose the most suitable collaboration tools."

Microsoft's commitments will remain in force for seven years, while those relating to interoperability and data portability will apply for ten. Their implementation will be monitored by an independent trustee, responsible for mediating any disputes with competitors and reporting regularly to the European Commission. Failure to comply will result in fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover or daily penalties of 5% of turnover.

The agreement closes two proceedings initiated by complaints filed by Slack (now part of Salesforce) and the German company Alfaview, which later withdrew their complaints following Brussels' decision.

The Commission had accused Microsoft of abusing its dominant position by tying Teams to its own business suites, a practice deemed contrary to Article 102 of the EU Treaty. Already in 2023, the EU executive had opened a formal investigation, concluding that the automatic inclusion of Teams gave the platform an unfair advantage in distribution and hindered competition.

"Organizations large and small in Europe and around the world rely on video conferencing, chat, and collaboration tools, especially in the wake of the pandemic," said Vice President Teresa Ribera. "With today's decision," she added, "we are making Microsoft's commitments binding for seven years or more, ending tying practices that prevented rivals from effectively competing with Teams."

The EU executive clarifies that Microsoft's commitments will apply throughout the European Economic Area, but the company has chosen to extend the alignment of its packages and prices globally. Brussels emphasizes, however, that oversight will remain high: should Microsoft fail to comply with its obligations, the EU Antitrust Authority may intervene with swift measures and proportionate fines.