Recital 18

For reasons relating to financial planning and attracting investment, providers of data processing services, especially SMEs and SMCs, may prefer and offer contracts of a fixed duration. It is necessary to clarify that providers of data processing services may include provisions on proportionate early termination penalties in those contracts as long as they do not constitute an obstacle to switching. In addition, providers of data processing services that are SMEs or SMCs are particularly burdened by the need to align existing contracts for the provision of data processing services to Regulation (EU) 2023/2854. It is therefore necessary to establish a specific regime for those providers if they provide data processing services, other than IaaS, based on contracts concluded before or on 12 September 2025. Taking into account the aim of Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 to enable switching between data processing services and given that switching charges, including egress charges, constitute a serious obstacle to switching, the new lighter regimes for data processing services that are custom-made or are provided by SMEs or SMCs should not undermine the gradual withdrawal of those charges. Contractual provisions running contrary to that objective should be considered to never have existed, if they are included in contractual agreements on the provision of services falling within the scope of those two new specific regimes.