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🇫🇷 France /Economy & Trade

EU Fines Google 890 Million Euros for Antitrust Violations, Risking US Ire

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The EU has fined Google 890 million euros for antitrust violations related to its search engine and app store.
  • Google was penalized for favoring its own services in search results and for restricting app developers' ability to offer alternative sales channels.
  • The tech giant claims the EU's decision will degrade popular user services and risks further tension with the US administration.

The European Union has imposed a record 890 million euro fine on Google for violating competition rules, marking the largest sanction ever levied by Brussels under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The penalties stem from two distinct antitrust violations. Google received a 460 million euro fine for prioritizing its own services within Google Search results. An additional 430 million euro penalty was issued because Google allegedly prevented developers using its Play Store from directing customers to alternative virtual points of sale.

This is a very important decision.

— Henna VirkkunenThe European Commission's Vice-President for Digital Policy commented on the significance of the ruling.

"This is a very important decision," stated Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's Vice-President for Digital Policy. She emphasized that the ruling aims to "ensure a level playing field" for all online businesses.

To comply, we are forced to remove real-time search features that Europeans appreciate, such as instant price displays and direct availability of hotels, flights, and restaurants, and to dismantle security protections on Google Play.

— Kent WalkerGoogle's President of Global Affairs expressed concern over the impact of the EU's decision on user services.

Google, however, strongly criticized the EU's decision. Kent Walker, Google's President of Global Affairs, argued that compliance would force the company to remove features that Europeans value, such as real-time price displays and direct booking options for hotels, flights, and restaurants. He also stated that security protections on Google Play would be dismantled.

This significant penalty is likely to exacerbate tensions between the EU and the United States. The Trump administration has previously accused the EU of unfairly targeting American tech companies with its digital regulations. In response to the EU's actions, 25 Republican lawmakers recently urged Donald Trump to consider retaliatory measures against the EU if it continues to enforce what they term "discriminatory laws, policies, or practices in the digital sector."

We have a duty to ensure that the laws adopted by our sovereign institutions are fully applied and respected.

— Teresa RiberaThe official responsible for Competition within the Commission stressed the importance of enforcing EU laws.
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Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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