EU accepts binding commitments from SAP over ERP support practices

The European Commission accepted binding commitments from SAP on Wednesday, resolving an antitrust probe into its on-premises ERP maintenance practices.europa+1
The investigation, opened in September 2025, found SAP may have restricted competition by forcing customers to buy uniform support across all software instances.europeansting
Under the 10-year global deal, SAP will let customers choose different support suppliers per installation and abolish reinstatement fees, according to the company.ciodive+1

The European Commission on Wednesday accepted binding commitments from SAP to address competition concerns over its on-premises ERP maintenance and support services, concluding a formal antitrust investigation that began in September 2025. SAP welcomed the decision, framing it as an evolution toward one of the most customer-friendly support approaches in the enterprise software industry.news.sap+2

What SAP Committed To

The Commission's investigation centered on four practices it said may have restricted competition and exploited SAP's dominant market position. Specifically, the Commission took issue with SAP requiring customers to purchase the same level of maintenance from SAP across all on-premises ERP instances, preventing cancellation of support for unused licenses, extending initial license terms that lock in support contracts, and charging reinstatement and back-maintenance fees to returning customers.cio+1

Under the now-binding commitments, SAP will allow customers to split their on-premises ERP landscape into separate parts, choosing different support suppliers or different levels of SAP support for each installation. Customers will gain wider access to single-metric contracts and the ability to terminate maintenance for unused "shelfware" licenses. SAP also agreed to abolish reinstatement fees and reduce back-maintenance fees to 50 percent, capped at six months of fees. The commitments apply globally to all current and future customers for 10 years.ciodive+1

Cloud Transition Backdrop

The resolution arrives as SAP accelerates its shift from on-premises licensing to cloud subscriptions. In its most recent quarterly results, the company reported cloud revenue of €6.0 billion for Q1 2026, up 27 percent year-over-year at constant currencies, while software support revenue declined 6 percent. SAP projects full-year 2026 cloud revenue of €25.8 billion to €26.2 billion.futurumgroup+1

The competitive dynamics of SAP's maintenance market had drawn attention from third-party support providers and enterprise customers alike, with analysts noting that SAP's end-of-maintenance deadlines for legacy products serve as levers to drive cloud adoption. The binding commitments now ensure that customers navigating this transition retain flexibility in how they manage support for their remaining on-premises estates.linkedin+1

Sources (38)