Croatian MEP Tomislav Sokol (PPE) has asked the European Commission whether multi-month or multi-year automated vetting processes on major internet platforms, with no final verdict or human review, comply with EU platform regulations. In a written parliamentary question dated 3 June 2026, Sokol warned that media outlets and other business users face opaque and unreasonably long restrictions, potentially violating the Platform-to-Business (P2B) Regulation and the Digital Services Act (DSA).
the P2B Regulation (2019/1150), which requires transparency and predictability in platform-business relations, and the DSA (2022/2065), which mandates efficient, transparent complaint handling. Sokol specifically asks whether prolonged automated processes without human intervention breach Articles 4 and 11 of the P2B Regulation, which concern restrictions and internal complaint systems.
Sokol also requests data on how many complaints the Commission has received from business users about unduly long-term restrictions or bans from major platforms. He further asks whether the Commission plans additional supervisory or enforcement measures to protect business users, including independent media outlets, from such opaque automated processes.
The question reflects growing concern among EU lawmakers about the power of large platforms over business users, particularly media outlets that depend on platform traffic. By invoking both the P2B Regulation and the DSA, Sokol signals that the issue may require coordinated enforcement across different regulatory frameworks.
The Commission is expected to respond within approximately six weeks. Its answer will indicate whether it views the current enforcement tools as sufficient or whether further action—such as guidelines, investigations, or legislative proposals—is needed to address the problem.