The European Commission has fined Google a total of €890 million, equivalent to approximately $1 billion, for breaching European Union rules designed to curb the power of Big Tech. The development marks the first fines imposed on Google under the Digital Markets Act and its fifth and sixth overall penalties for anti-competitive practices, according to Reuters. The fines were announced on Thursday, with the Commission splitting the penalty into two separate decisions.
EU Defends Fines Amid US Criticism
EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen both defended the fines in the face of US government criticism and retaliatory tariff threats, framing the enforcement action as a straightforward obligation under European law, according to Reuters. “Our duty and obligation is to comply with the laws, that our laws are fully respected,” Ribera told reporters when asked about US pushback against EU enforcement targeting American tech companies. “The DMA is to make sure we have a fair and level playing field. With these decisions we want to make sure there is competition,” Virkkunen said.
Details of the Violations
On the search fine, the Commission said Google had been favouring its own shopping, hotel, transport and sports results in search. On the app store fine, the Commission said Google had been preventing app developers from steering users toward cheaper offers on rival platforms or websites free of charge. The Commission also pointed to a “constructive dialogue” with Google and said the company had proposed and started testing changes to how it presents its own services in search results for free services such as shopping, hotels and flights. The EU described this as substantial progress and signalling that daily penalties for non-compliance are likely off the table.
Google's Response and Total Penalties
Google criticised the EU’s findings and said it may take the Commission to court, arguing that the compliance measures it is being required to implement will harm European users rather than benefit them. “To comply, we are having to strip away real-time Search features Europeans love, like instant pricing and direct availability for hotels, flights, and restaurants, and dismantle safety protections on Google Play,” Google President of Global Affairs Kent Walker said in a statement. “This isn’t fair competition; it’s product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants, with European businesses and consumers taking the hit. Regulation should improve products, not make them worse,” he said. Google has 60 days to comply with the Commission’s orders to treat rivals fairly and non-discriminatorily in search, and to allow app developers to steer users away from its app store. The decisions bring Google’s total penalties for anti-competitive conduct in Europe to €10.38 billion over nearly two decades, underscoring the depth and persistence of the EU’s regulatory conflict with the world’s dominant search engine.
Previous DMA Enforcement
This latest enforcement action builds on the European Union’s earlier crackdown under the Digital Markets Act. Last year, the EU imposed the first major penalties under the DMA, fining Apple €500 million and Meta €200 million for breaching the bloc’s digital competition rules. The sanctions marked the beginning of a more aggressive phase in the EU’s efforts to curb the market power of Big Tech companies.
