The penalty consists of two distinct charges: €460 million for search monopoly abuse and €430 million for restrictive practices within the Google Play ecosystem. European officials argue that the sheer scale of the company’s reach—spanning 482 million active non-signed-in accounts across the bloc—necessitates stricter oversight to ensure third-party competitors receive a fair chance to appear in search results.
EU levies €890m penalty on Google for search and store dominance
Two years after launching investigations into anti-competitive behavior, the European Commission hit Google with an €890 million fine on Thursday. Regulators ruled the search giant systematically prioritized its own services like Google Flights while inflating costs for businesses trying to reach consumers through alternative channels on the Play Store.
Despite the scale of the fine, critics are dismissing the move as a half-measure. Max von Thun, director of the Open Markets Institute Europe, labeled the sanction the “bare minimum,” citing the two-year delay in reaching a conclusion. Google has 60 days to overhaul its operations and bring its practices into compliance with the Digital Markets Act.
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