If it feels like Apple and the European Union have been in conflict for a while, it's because they have been. The Apple vs EU debacle started in mid-2022 when the EU chose the USB-C as a universal charging port for all devices, forcing Apple to update its Lightning port.
In November 2022, the EU passed the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with various rules and a deadline date in March 2024 for companies, like Apple, to comply by. In the name of complying, Apple recently announced that it'll allow third-party app stores in the EU, but with some costly extra fees added on that make it potentially easier to just stay with Apple's App Store.
