§ Digital Markets Act · Article 7
DMA Article 7: Obligations, Deadlines & Penalties
At a glance
Article 7 of the DMA imposes 9 obligations on gatekeeper. At least one obligation carries an explicit compliance deadline.
§ Obligations
All obligations under Article 7
Obligation 1
Gatekeepers providing listed number-independent interpersonal communications services must make basic functionalities interoperable with other providers' services in the Union by providing necessary technical interfaces free of charge upon request.
Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, Article 7, Article 7
- Obligated entity
-
gatekeeper
- Sector scope
- number-independent interpersonal communications services
- Action required
-
make interoperable
- Deadline
-
upon request
- Penalty
-
—
Obligation 2
Gatekeepers must make end-to-end text messaging and file sharing between two individual end users interoperable following the listing in the designation decision.
Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, Article 7, Article 7
- Obligated entity
-
gatekeeper
- Sector scope
- number-independent interpersonal communications services
- Action required
-
make interoperable
- Deadline
-
following the listing in the designation decision
- Penalty
-
—
Obligation 3
Gatekeepers must make end-to-end text messaging within groups and file sharing between group chats and individual users interoperable within 2 years from designation.
Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, Article 7, Article 7
- Obligated entity
-
gatekeeper
- Sector scope
- number-independent interpersonal communications services
- Action required
-
make interoperable
- Deadline
-
within 2 years from the designation
- Penalty
-
—
Obligation 4
Gatekeepers must make end-to-end voice and video calls between individuals and between group chats and individual users interoperable within 4 years from designation.
Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, Article 7, Article 7
- Obligated entity
-
gatekeeper
- Sector scope
- number-independent interpersonal communications services
- Action required
-
make interoperable
- Deadline
-
within 4 years from the designation
- Penalty
-
—
Obligation 5
Gatekeepers must preserve the level of security, including end-to-end encryption where applicable, provided to their own end users across interoperable services.
Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, Article 7, Article 7
- Obligated entity
-
gatekeeper
- Sector scope
- number-independent interpersonal communications services
- Action required
-
preserve
- Deadline
-
—
- Penalty
-
—
Obligation 6
Gatekeepers must publish a reference offer laying down technical details, general terms, and security levels for interoperability within the period laid down in Article 3(10) and update it where necessary.
Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, Article 7, Article 7
- Obligated entity
-
gatekeeper
- Sector scope
- number-independent interpersonal communications services
- Action required
-
publish
- Deadline
-
within the period laid down in Article 3(10)
- Penalty
-
—
Obligation 7
Gatekeepers must comply with any reasonable request for interoperability by rendering the requested basic functionalities operational within 3 months after receiving the request.
Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, Article 7, Article 7
- Obligated entity
-
gatekeeper
- Sector scope
- number-independent interpersonal communications services
- Action required
-
comply
- Deadline
-
within 3 months after receiving that request
- Penalty
-
—
Obligation 8
Gatekeepers must collect and exchange only the personal data of end users strictly necessary to provide effective interoperability, ensuring full compliance with GDPR and ePrivacy Directive.
Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, Article 7, Article 7
- Obligated entity
-
gatekeeper
- Sector scope
- number-independent interpersonal communications services
- Action required
-
collect and exchange
- Deadline
-
—
- Penalty
-
—
Obligation 9
Gatekeepers may take strictly necessary and proportionate measures to ensure third-party providers requesting interoperability do not endanger the integrity, security, and privacy of their services, provided such measures are duly justified.
Regulation (EU) 2022/1925, Article 7, Article 7
- Obligated entity
-
gatekeeper
- Sector scope
- number-independent interpersonal communications services
- Action required
-
take measures
- Deadline
-
—
- Penalty
-
—
§ Frequently asked
Questions about Article 7
Who must comply with Article 7 of the DMA?
+
gatekeeper.
What does Article 7 of the DMA require?
+
make interoperable preserve publish
What is the compliance deadline for DMA Article 7?
+
following the listing in the designation decision; upon request; within 2 years from the designation; within 3 months after receiving that request; within 4 years from the designation; within the period laid down in Article 3(10)