Cook holds 'constructive' talks with EU over Siri AI standoff

Tim Cook held a videoconference with EU Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen on Tuesday, with both sides calling the exchange "constructive," according to the Financial Times.ft
Apple announced earlier in June that its revamped Siri AI would not launch on iPhone or iPad in the EU due to a dispute over Digital Markets Act compliance.apple
Cook is set to hand the CEO role to John Ternus on Sept. 1 and has signaled that government relations will be a focus in his new role as executive chairman.forbes

Apple CEO Tim Cook held a virtual meeting with EU Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing standoff over the company's new AI-powered Siri features in Europe, with both sides describing the exchange as "constructive," according to a report by the Financial Times.ft

An EU spokesperson said the videoconference had involved a "constructive exchange on topics of common interest, on which the work continues," the Financial Times reported. The meeting was publicly listed on Virkkunen's official European Commission calendar.commission.europa+2

The Siri AI Standoff

The talks come amid a months-long dispute between Apple and EU regulators over the launch of Siri AI — a rebuilt version of the company's virtual assistant powered by Apple Intelligence — in the European Union. Apple announced at WWDC in early June that Siri AI would not be available on iPhone or iPad in the EU when iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 launch later this year, blaming the Digital Markets Act.apple+1

Apple said EU regulators refused to accept its proposed solutions for bringing Siri AI to Europe while supporting interoperability with other virtual assistants. The European Commission pushed back, saying "absolutely nothing in the DMA prohibits Apple from introducing new products in the EU" and that the decision to withhold Siri AI was Apple's alone.reuters+2

Siri AI will be available to EU users on macOS 27 and visionOS 27, but not on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.apple

Cook's Role in Government Relations

Cook's direct involvement in the EU discussions is notable given his planned transition to Executive Chairman on September 1, when hardware chief John Ternus will take over as CEO. The outgoing chief executive has signaled that government relations will be a focus in his new role, and Tuesday's call with Virkkunen suggests he is already laying groundwork for ongoing regulatory negotiations that will extend beyond his tenure as CEO.forbes+1

Cook previously held a call with Virkkunen in May 2025, which the EU official described at the time as a "candid and good exchange" on digital rules enforcement and the EU innovation agenda. Whether Tuesday's meeting will lead to a breakthrough on Siri AI's availability in the EU remains to be seen — Apple has said there is "currently no timeline" for bringing the features to iPhone and iPad in Europe.x+1

Sources (25)