According to the German Journal of Commerce, European Commission sources have reported that the EU plans to impose a high fine of hundreds of millions of euros on Google as part of an antimonopoly investigation. It was reported that the ruling was nearing completion and was expected to be announced before the summer recess, which would be the largest European Union ticket for violation of the Digital Market Act.
The survey was officially launched in March 2025, in response to Google ‘ s abuse of its lead role in the search ecosystem and its preference for home-based services in the search results, with a view to ensuring that Google search engines comply with local regulations. In addition, the investigation found that Google Play had failed to fulfil its obligation to allow third-party developers to inform and direct clients to choose cheaper alternatives to payment.
According to Reuters, the European Commission spokesperson in a statement stated that the EU goal was to ensure compliance, not to impose fines. “Even if we are negotiating a future solution, we will not hesitate to take the next step as soon as possible.” The European Commission is not satisfied with the series of changes that Alphabet has implemented on Google searches.
A Google speaker told the media that “the changes we have made to the search results under the Digital Markets Act represent the largest downgrading in the history of the product, creating a second-rate experience for Europeans, while benefiting a few self-serving complainants”.
Early this month, the European Commission indicated that it had been given “more time” to address competition concerns after Google’s previous proposal failed to meet the authorities’ demands. Over the years, Google has been repeatedly blamed by the EU for failing to comply with EU regulations. Last September, the company was fined 2.95 billion euros for violating antimonopoly regulations in the area of advertising technology. Subsequently, Google submitted a rehabilitation plan, which corrected anti-monopoly irregularities.
In November, the European Commission launched a new survey for concerns about Google’s “downgrade” of news and media publishers’ websites and content in the search results. One month later, another survey conducted AI training on the use of web publisher content by this technology giant and on uploading to YouTube, fearing that this could put other AI developers at a disadvantage.
