In yet another sign that the EU’s executive body is ready to hand out heavy penalties for breaking competition rules, the European Commission has hit Qualcomm, the world’s largest smartphone chip-maker, with a €997.4 million (U.S.$1.23 billion) fine for setting up a deal to be Apple’s sole supplier for five years.

Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal...