The European Union says Apple has violated the bloc’s new legislation aimed at ensuring fair competition in the digital market.

European Commission Spokesperson Thomas Regnier said: “Under the Digital Markets Act, app gatekeepers, basically developers, should be able to steer consumers to alternative offers, cheaper options outside of the App Store, and following our investigation, we now have doubts, and we believe that Apple is in breach of the DMA when it comes to these steering rules.”

The Digital Markets Act allows the EU to impose steep fines of up to 10 percent of a violator’s annual revenue.

The legislation took full effect in March.

The findings against Apple mark the first time the EU has issued a preliminary view that can lead to fines.

The US tech giant can submit objections in writing. The EU says it would review them and announce its final decision by March. That would come within a year of the start of the investigation.