After Google and Apple lost the lawsuit, the European Union is expected to intensify its efforts in antitrust investigations against tech giants.

For Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) and Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOG.US), it was a dark day as both companies lost in the two largest competition cases in EU history. Apple Inc. faced a failure in the 130 billion euro (144 billion US dollars) Irish tax case demanded by the EU, while Alphabet Inc. Class C faced a challenge of a 2.4 billion euro fine for abusing its search market power. But this may just be the beginning. As the EU's antitrust commissioner prepares to step down after a decade-long crackdown on Silicon Valley's overreach, the defense by the EU's highest court may signal that there will be plenty more cases to come. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told Brussels reporters after her two victories on Tuesday, "We may only be getting started." Vestager is set to start work later this year as part of the new EU Commission, which is committed to building regional champions to one day compete with American giants. According to sources familiar with the matter, a top contender for this position is Teresa Ribera, the current Minister for Ecological Transition in Spain. Depending on Vestager's departure time, the early test for this bold new EU executive may be launching a fourth antitrust attack against Alphabet Inc. Class C, targeting its advertising technology business. The EU has previously warned that the only way to correct Alphabet Inc. Class C's dominance in the advertising technology sector is to force the company to spin off that business. The U.S. Justice Department is seeking a similar spinoff, with the trial of Atlantic China Welding Consumables, Inc. underway. Vestager stated on Tuesday, "It's very difficult to see any other way forward for the EU, and this case is moving forward very, very quickly." While Ribera does not have a record in antitrust enforcement, a highly anticipated report released by former ECB President Mario Draghi on Monday may also indicate the future direction. Draghi advocates rewriting the EU's competition policy rulebook so that European companies can "compete with the superstars of China and the U.S." If Spain's Ribera takes over as the head of the EU's most important competition affairs, her weapon will be the EU's new digital antitrust toolbox - the Digital Markets Act. Previously, in her frustration with seeing digital markets fail in competition, Vestager pushed for this newly formulated law, giving the EU the power to impose hefty fines and even order company breakups in extreme cases. The EU launched a comprehensive investigation into Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc. Class C, and Meta Platforms (META.US) in March, warning that they may face further penalties if they do not comply with the regulations.