Report: EU Plans to Impose Billions of Euros in Antitrust Fines on Google

According to a report by CNBC citing German newspaper Handelsblatt, the European Commission plans to impose a fine of hundreds of millions of euros on Alphabet's Google in an antitrust investigation. Insiders have revealed that the relevant decision is nearing completion and is expected to be officially announced before the summer recess.

The investigation, which was launched in March 2025, focuses on the EU's belief that Google systematically favors its own services in search results. If the fine is ultimately imposed, it would become the largest penalty issued by the EU under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The act aims to curb the market dominance of large technology companies.

The European Commission spokesperson, Thomas Regnier, stated in an email declaration that the commission's primary objective is to encourage Google to achieve compliance, rather than just penalize.

"We are in negotiation with Google regarding future solutions, but we will not hesitate to proceed to the next steps once conditions are ripe."

Google, on the other hand, attributes the dispute to the negative impact of DMA on the search product experience. A company spokesperson said that Google has made significant adjustments to its search functions in accordance with DMA requirements, but these changes have led to a noticeable decline in product experience.

This has resulted in the largest downgrade in the history of Google's search products, providing European users with a second-rate experience, ultimately benefiting only a small number of complainants."

The European Commission indicated earlier this month that, due to Google's previously submitted compliance proposal not meeting the requirements, it has decided to grant additional time to alleviate regulatory concerns.