The EU Regulator Puzzle

The market share of diesel cars is more than 60% in some EU countries. In comparison, they are a curiosity in the US (less than 5% market share)  So, is it fair to ask why the VW emissions scandal was not caught much earlier by a EU regulator? This story describes the role of ICCT, West Virginia U and the US EPA in the investigation.

I have watched with similar puzzlement as EU regulators have gone after US vendors like Microsoft and Intel in the last decade for anticompetitive complaints. More recently,  Sigmar Gabriel, the German Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister was quoted, “is investigating whether Germany can classify Google as a vital part of the country’s infrastructure, and thus make it subject to heavy state regulations.”

None of those vendors have had the financial impact that SAP has had on corporate customers. European regulators have, however, stayed away from SAP, even with its dominant — estimated at 50% — ERP market share in German-speaking Europe.

Here’s another anomaly – the EU has regulated European telcos around mobile roaming charges. But try calling back from there on a US carrier and you still pay obnoxious rates.

Tough to figure out who they are trying to protect – and against what.