The European Commission (EC) sought feedback from rivals and customers on an Apple proposal to open its tap-to-pay technology to avoid potential fines in the bloc.

In a statement, the EC explained if the consultation found Apple commitments addressed its competition concerns, it may rule to make them legally binding.

Apple proposed offering third-party access to its NFC-based payment system through a set of APIs, offering developers the option to access the technology without using the company’s own payment or wallet services.

The European Union (EU) had warned Apple allowing access to the NFC technology amounted to an abuse of its market power and restricted competition.

In 2022, the EC outlined a preliminary view Apple had abused its position by restricting rival mobile wallets on iOS devices, with an investigation ongoing about potential breaches of competition laws.

Apple’s ten-year plan would include establishing an independent dispute settlement mechanism to review any decisions to block access to NFC, which would be reported to the EC.

If Apple does not live up to its commitments, the EC could levy a fine of up to 10 per cent of revenue without having to prove an infringement of competition rules.

The deadline for the consultation is 19 February.