EU plans to fine Google ​as part of antitrust investigation

The decision is nearing completion and is expected ‌to be announced before the summer break, the paper said, adding it would be ‌the largest penalty the EU has ‌imposed ⁠for a breach of its DMA

The European Union is planning to fine ‌Alphabet’s Google a high triple-digit million euro amount ​as part of an antitrust investigation, ⁠Germany’s Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Monday, citing commission sources.

The decision is nearing completion and is expected ‌to be announced before the summer break, the paper said, adding it would be ‌the largest penalty the EU has ‌imposed ⁠for a breach of its Digital ⁠Markets Act (DMA), which aims to curb the power of big technology companies.

The investigation, which was officially launched in ​March 2025, relates to ‌concerns that Google favours its own services in search results and seeks to ensure the internet search engine complies ‌with local regulation.

The Commission is more ​interested in securing compliance rather than imposing penalties, said spokesperson Thomas Regnier.

Even with our negotiations on future solutions, we will not hesitate to move to the ‌next steps as soon as possible, he added.

Google has protested the impact of the EU’s rules on its search product and said it is keen to resolve the case.

The changes we’ve already made to Search ‌under the DMA represent the biggest downgrade in the ​product’s history, creating a second-rate experience for Europeans to the benefit of a ⁠few self-interested complainants, a company spokesperson said.

The company protested: In the process of reflecting the demands of some stakeholders, other European users ended up receiving more outdated information.

Earlier this month, ⁠the European Commission said it had given Google a little bit more time ‌to soothe concerns after a previous proposal from the company fell short.