EU fines Google €890 million over digital competition breaches UPDATED

The European Union has fined Google a total of €890 million ($~$960 million) for breaching landmark digital competition rules, marking one of the most significant enforcement actions under the bloc’s new regulatory framework.

The European Commission said the U.S. technology giant violated the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by favouring its own services — such as shopping and hotel listings — over those of competitors in search results.

Regulators also found that Google restricted app developers from directing users to cheaper offers available outside its app ecosystem, including alternative app stores and external websites, in breach of the same legislation.

The penalties include a €460 million fine related to Google’s search practices and a further €430 million tied to its app store policies.

As part of the ruling, the Commission ordered Google to treat third-party services appearing in search results in a “fair and non-discriminatory manner” and to allow developers greater freedom to communicate alternative purchasing options to consumers.

The Commission noted that Google has already begun testing changes to how it presents its own services — such as shopping and flight results — within search pages, describing these efforts as “substantial progress towards compliance”.

A senior EU official said consumers would benefit directly from the decision. “Research results will be in different in Europe, they will have to adapt their search engine going forward,” the official said.

The decision comes at a sensitive geopolitical moment, just hours before the expiration of temporary global tariffs affecting around 60 countries — measures associated with policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

An EU official said there was no indication of how Trump might respond, stressing that the bloc retains the “sovereign right” to regulate U.S. technology companies operating within its jurisdiction. The official added that the timing of the fine was not linked to the tariff developments.

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The European Commission is preparing to impose a major fine on Google over alleged violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Politico reports.

The report said the decision could be announced as early as July 23 or 24, as US President Donald Trump is expected to determine Washington's next steps on tariffs targeting the European Union.

Google is accused of giving preferential treatment to its own services through its search engine at the expense of competitors.

The European Commission is also preparing a separate decision concerning the company's Google Play app store.

The investigation into Google was launched in March 2024.

A ruling had initially been expected in March this year but was postponed after Brussels granted the company additional time to address the alleged violations.

The EU's Digital Markets Advisory Committee, comprising national experts from member states, is expected to review the case on Thursday, after which the European Commission could formally announce its decision.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov