EU prepares hundreds of millions of euros fine for Google in antitrust probe

The European Union plans to impose a fine of several hundred million euros on Alphabet, which owns Google. The decision is being made as part of a large-scale antitrust investigation into the technology giant’s activities.

This is reported by Reuters. The final decision is expected to be announced before the start of the summer holidays in the European institutions.

According to sources, this fine could be the largest financial penalty that the European Union has ever applied under the Digital Markets Act. This regulatory act was created to limit the monopoly influence of large technology companies in digital markets.

A formal investigation against Google was launched in March 2025. European regulators have expressed concern that the company may favor its own services, including Google Flights and Google Shopping, in search results. According to the regulators, this creates an uneven playing field for competitors.

The parties in this conflict have different approaches to its resolution. The representative of the European Commission Thomas Rainier stated that the main goal of Brussels is not to impose fines, but to ensure compliance with the rules of the digital market. At the same time, he emphasized that in the absence of a compromise, the EU is ready to apply tough sanctions.

In turn, Google criticizes the requirements of European legislation. Company representatives state that the changes already made to the search algorithms allegedly led to the worst quality of the service in its entire history and created inconvenience for users in Europe.

Earlier this month, the European Commission gave Google additional time to correct the situation. The company's previous proposals for changes to the search algorithms were recognized as insufficient, which became the basis for continuing the negotiation process and preparing a possible fine.