EU Reappoints Top Antitrust Cop Who Led Crackdown on Tech Giants

In a surprise move, the new European Commission has reappointed Margrethe Vestager to be its antitrust chief. From a report: As Europe’s chief of competition, Vestager has over the past several years led a crusade against many of the biggest U.S. tech companies for abuses of power. But following recent elections for the European Parliament and the selection of a new European Commission, Vestager’s term was expected to come to an end. Instead, it seems her mission will continue and has expanded to include a project called “Europe fit for the digital age,” though not many details were offered about the new brief. “Digitalization has a huge impact on the way we live, work, and communicate,” EC President-elect Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on Vestager’s role. “In some fields, Europe has to catch up — like for business to consumers — while in others we are frontrunners — such as in business to business. We have to make our single market fit for the digital age, we need to make the most of artificial intelligence and big data, we have to improve on cybersecurity, and we have to work hard for our technological sovereignty.”