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The wheels of EU enforcement grind slow, but exceeding fine (eg the recent 1.2bn eur fine for Facebook was as a result of behaviour from 2020 onwards), so there's something to be said for warning someone off bad behaviour rather than just launching an enforcement action, because the enforcement action will probably take _years_.

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No, that's not how the EU works.

EU fines have to be paid immediately and are transferred directly to the Commission's budget (making them a huge conflict of interest). Then, if you want, you can try to appeal and get your money back. That's the part that takes years.

This is the other way around to how law works in real democracies, where the government must actually win a case first before being able to levy punishment. But it's normal to be confused. The EU constitution dresses itself in the language and idioms of democracy without actually having the core spirit of it.

The 1.2bn fine is still, AIUI, appealable. It took years for the relevant regulator to lurch into action and levy it, as is standard for GDPR cases.

The USA works that way with Civil Asset Forfeiture. Cops take your money/property and you have to sue to prove your innocence to get it back.

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