By Najat Kantouar


Spain's competition authority opened a public consultation on the country's cloud-services market following a complaint filed by a group of startups against Microsoft.

Spain's National Markets and Competition Commission, known as CNMC, said Tuesday that the consultation is part of a study that began last year that seeks to examine elements that might affect the cloud market's efficiency and competitiveness. The consultation will remain open until June 21, it said.

News of the consultation came shortly after the Spanish Association of Startups said earlier on Tuesday that it had filed a complaint with the CNMC, asking the commission to investigate Microsoft's cloud practices. The association said Microsoft's cloud practices were anticompetitive and imposed artificial barriers that limit startups' ability to compete fairly.

Microsoft and the CNMC didn't immediately reply when contacted by Dow Jones Newswires about the association's complaint.

The association, which represents more than 700 Spanish startups, also requested that urgent measures be taken to ensure a more open and competitive market on the cloud.


Write to Najat Kantouar at najat.kantouar@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-07-24 0743ET