The European Commission (EC) has announced a total fine of €890 million against Google for violating the requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
According to the EC's statement, Google violated the DMA by giving preference to its own services in the search results of Google Search, as well as restricting companies that directed users to alternative, often cheaper purchasing platforms outside of Google Play.
For these violations, the European Commission has imposed fines of €460 million and €430 million on the company, respectively.
EC Executive Vice President for EU technological sovereignty, Hennah Virkunen, stated that the decisions reaffirm the determination to enforce the DMA to protect business and innovation.
She noted that Google harms competing services, including platforms for shopping, hotels, transportation, and sports results, as it does not provide them with the same visibility in search results as it does for its own services.
Additionally, the company has limited the ability of app developers to present customers with more advantageous offers outside of Google Play.
In turn, EC Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, responsible for competition issues, stated that Google has not ensured effective implementation of the Digital Markets Act, thus “decisive but balanced” measures have been taken.
She emphasized that the best services should succeed based on their quality, not due to the advantage of the search engine owner, and that European consumers should have the opportunity to be informed about more advantageous offers, regardless of whether Google Play receives a commission from them.
The European Commission has mandated Google to eliminate the violations within 60 days.
If Google fails to comply with the decisions within the stipulated timeframe, Brussels has warned that the company may face periodic fines of up to 5% of its global annual turnover.
