EU prepares first DMA fine against Google

The European Commission is expected to announce its first fine against Google under the Digital Markets Act, with German financial newspaper Handelsblatt reporting that a potential one billion euro penalty could be unveiled on Thursday. The decision would mark a major test of the EU’s digital competition rulebook and could escalate tensions with US President Donald Trump’s administration, which has accused Brussels of unfairly targeting American companies.

The reported penalty relates to two proceedings over alleged abuse of market power. One concerns whether Google favours its own services in online search results, while the other focuses on claims that Google prevents app developers from advertising download options outside the Google Play Store. The Commission opened both proceedings in March 2024, and the final amount would be decided by the College of Commissioners led by Ursula von der Leyen.

The expected fine follows recent Commission orders requiring Google to share search data with rival search engines from January 2027 and open Android to competing AI services under DMA rules. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said the measures would give users “greater choice,” while Google global affairs chief Kent Walker warned they risked “undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans.” DMA violations can lead to fines of up to 10 percent of global turnover, and Google parent Alphabet reported annual turnover of $402.8 billion (€353.08 billion) in 2025.