§ DMA · DSA COMPARISON

DMA vs DSA: Where They Overlap and Conflict

4 overlaps, 1 conflicts and 2 gaps mapped between DMA and DSA in the Fontvera regulatory corpus.

Summary

DMA and DSA both apply across European business activity, but they were drafted at different times with different policy goals. This page summarises every article-level crossref between the two in the Fontvera corpus.

4 overlaps mean the same conduct triggers obligations in both regimes — design controls once, document twice. 1 conflicts mean the two regulations push in opposite directions on a specific question. 2 gaps mean one regulation leaves something on a topic the other addresses.

Who this applies to
Compliance teams who need to map a single control framework onto both DMA and DSA.
Compliance deadline
§ Detail

In depth

Summary statistics

Overlaps: 4 · Conflicts: 1 · Gaps: 2

7 article-level crossrefs catalogued between DMA and DSA from the Fontvera EU regulatory corpus. Article numbers are verbatim from the underlying obligation_crossrefs table; descriptions are extracted, not paraphrased.

All crossrefs between these regulations

Article (A)Article (B)TypeSeverityDescription
DMA Art 15DSA Art 15overlapmedium[entity affected: gatekeeper / very large online platform] Both regulations require large platforms to publish annual reports on their operations, specifically regarding profiling techniques (DMA) and
DMA Art 11DSA Art 15overlapmedium[entity affected: gatekeeper / provider of intermediary services] Both regulations mandate the publication of transparency reports or compliance summaries to ensure accountability and public oversight
DMA Art 13DSA Art 25overlaphigh[entity affected: gatekeeper / provider of online platforms] Both regulations prohibit manipulative or deceptive practices, with DMA focusing on undermining compliance and DSA focusing on dark pattern
DMA Art 14DSA Art 10overlaplow[entity affected: gatekeeper / provider of intermediary services] Both regulations require entities to inform authorities about specific events or data, such as concentrations (DMA) or receipt of info
DMA Art 1DSA Art 10conflicthigh[entity affected: gatekeeper] DMA Art 1 prohibits Member States from imposing further obligations on gatekeepers, while DSA Art 10 allows Member States to issue orders for information, potentially cre
DMA Art ?DSA Art ?gapmedium[entity affected: small and medium-sized online platforms] Neither regulation imposes significant compliance burdens on platforms that do not meet the 'gatekeeper' or 'very large online platform' thre
DMA Art ?DSA Art ?gaphigh[entity affected: providers of emerging technologies (e.g., AI agents)] Neither regulation explicitly addresses the compliance obligations for autonomous AI agents acting as intermediaries or gatekeep

Conflicts explained

The 1 article-level conflicts between DMA and DSA mean a control that satisfies one can pull the wrong way on the other:

Which regulation takes precedence

EU law does not lay down a universal precedence rule between DMA and DSA. In practice three resolution approaches apply: lex specialis (the more specific provision wins when both purport to govern the same conduct); regulator guidance (EDPB, EBA, ESMA and the AI Office have all issued joint readings on overlapping articles — check the most recent applicable opinion); and document the choice (when the regulations leave the call to the controller, the audit defence is your written reasoning, not the regulator's silence). Where the corpus surfaces a conflict rather than an overlap, treat that as an escalation path to legal — not a control-design question.

What this means for your compliance team

Treat the 4 overlaps as design opportunities — one control, two regulatory anchors. Treat the 1 conflicts as escalation paths to legal: the regulations themselves don't resolve them, you do, and you document the reasoning. The 2 gaps point at scenarios where one regulation is silent while the other speaks — assume the regulator who has the explicit rule will win.

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§ What Fontvera found

Documents in our corpus

Enforcement data is expanding. AI Act enforcement begins 2 August 2026 — this section will populate automatically as authorities and courts publish decisions citing the regulations covered on this page.
§ Cross-references

Related Fontvera intelligence

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