Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.
Apple and Google face landmark rulings in the EU’s top court today, with judges set to decide on two cases that could make or break Margrethe Vestager’s legacy as one of the world’s toughest Big Tech trustbusters. Her 2016 order for Ireland to reclaim €13 billion in tax from Apple sent shockwaves across the Atlantic, with Tim Cook slamming the decision as “political crap.” And a €2.4 billion Google fine — levelled for crushing rivals in search results — is one of her four headline cases against the Mountain View firm. Today’s decisions come just weeks before the competition commissioner is due to leave her post in the EU executive, with many mulling over her record in reining in the dominance of the digital giants.