Google has been fined €890 million by the EU for allegedly abusing its dominance by favouring its own apps and services over rival products. The penalty is the first major enforcement action under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which is designed to limit the power of the biggest tech companies.
The European Commission said Google’s practices reduced consumer choice and gave its own services an unfair advantage. It imposed two separate fines: €460 million for favouring its own flight and hotel services in search results, and €430 million over Play Store rules that regulators said blocked cheaper offers outside Google’s marketplace.
Google criticised the ruling, saying the EU’s demands could harm services millions of Europeans use every day. Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, said the company would have to remove real-time Search features such as instant pricing and direct availability for hotels, flights and restaurants, and weaken safety protections on Google Play.
EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said companies should succeed because their products are better, not because of their market position. Google now has 60 days to comply with the ruling or challenge it in court.