SAP has avoided a potential antitrust fine, but in return must relax the rules that have, for years, tied customers to its software maintenance services. Companies still using on-premises ERP systems stand to gain the most, as they will find it easier to reduce their reliance on the manufacturer’s support or switch to a third-party provider.
The European Commission has accepted SAP’s commitments and made them legally binding. The decision brings to a close the proceedings launched in September 2025, but does not conclude that the German company infringed EU competition law.
Brussels suspected that SAP was restricting competition in the market for the maintenance and support of on-premises ERP systems. The concerns related, amongst other things, to the requirement to cover the entire SAP environment under a single support package, difficulties in cancelling services for unused licences, and fees imposed on customers returning after a break.
“Today’s decision gives customers using SAP’s popular on-premises business management software greater freedom to choose maintenance and support services without unfair restrictions that have increased their costs and stifled competition” said the EU’s Competition Commissioner, Teresa Ribera, in a statement.
The new rules will allow customers to split their SAP environments into separate parts and apply different levels of support to them. The company will also expand access to contracts in which licence and service fees are calculated on the basis of a single metric. It is also set to become easier to cancel certain unused licences, including in the event of bankruptcy, the sale of part of a business or a failed implementation.
SAP will waive administrative fees for returning to support. The fee for overdue maintenance will be capped at the lower of two amounts: a six-month subscription fee or half the fees due for the period of interruption.
SAP said: “These commitments provide greater transparency, choice and safeguards for customers managing complex on-premises environments.”
The changes will apply for ten years and will cover customers worldwide. They do not apply to SAP cloud services. For companies maintaining legacy systems, however, they mean greater bargaining power and an opportunity to reduce costs without having to migrate to the cloud immediately.
