EU Commission hits Google with hefty €2.95 billion fine

Published connected 05/09/2025 - 17:55 GMT+2 •Updated 17:58

The EU antitrust enforcer connected Friday walloped US tech elephantine Google pinch a €2.95 cardinal good for self-preferencing its advertisement speech instrumentality “AdX”, while dominating nan marketplace pinch its patient advertisement server and its advertisement buying tools.

“Google must now travel guardant pinch a superior remedy to reside its conflicts of interest, and if it fails to do so, we will not hesitate to enforce beardown remedies,” EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera said successful a statement, adding: “Digital markets beryllium to service group and must beryllium grounded successful spot and fairness.”

Google now has 60 days to put an extremity to its practices deemed anti-competitive. The Commission opened its general proceedings Google's behaviour successful nan online advertizing exertion assemblage successful June 2021.

Lee-Anne Mulholland, nan firm’s vice President, said successful a connection that nan good was “unjustified” and that nan changes required “will wounded thousands of European businesses by making it harder for them to make money.”

The institution announced connected Friday that it will entreaty nan Commission’s decision.

This determination comes amid heightened tensions pinch nan US administration, arsenic US president Donald Trump precocious threatened nan EU pinch tariffs if it were to target US Big Tech companies again.

Trade tensions

MLex reported earlier successful nan week that EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič postponed nan Google Ad Tech determination from being published to debar nan US president’s ire.

A root acquainted pinch nan matter confirmed to Euronews that nan good had been postponed astatine nan inaugural of Bjoern Seibert, nan powerful main of unit to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

In nan arena nan good imposed connected nan US tech giant is substantial.

“True state intends a level playing field, wherever everyone competes connected adjacent position and citizens person a genuine correct to choose,” nan EU commissioner said.

The determination risks further straining EU-US relations, conscionable arsenic nan 2 sides person concluded a arguable waste and acquisition woody aft weeks of exhausting negotiations.

The statement group US tariffs astatine 15% connected EU imports into nan US market, successful speech for nan EU opening its marketplace wide to US products pinch 0% tariffs. But its implementation is not over, since nan US management has still not reduced nan 27.5% tariffs applied to EU cars down to 15%, arsenic promised.

Exemptions to nan woody are besides still nether speech and nan statement must still walk done nan gauntlet of scrutiny by some MEPs and EU personnel states.

On Wednesday, Members of nan European Parliament denounced nan waste and acquisition statement arsenic unbalanced, the Commission defending itself by repeating that it had small prime successful nan look of a US management wished to instrumentality a caller fierce tariff policy.