The EU fines Google 890 million euros for favoring its own services and violating the Digital Markets Act

The European Commission (EC) imposed two fines on Google on Thursday totaling 890 million euros (about $1.015 million), the highest penalty imposed to date under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The first fine, of 460 million euros, stems from the search engine favoring its own services in Google Search results. The second, in the amount of 430 million euros, penalizes the company for preventing app developers on the Play Store from directing users to other sales platforms.

"After this decision, we want to make sure that there is more competition and also other companies are able to innovate," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said.

Google criticizes the fine and warns of service cuts

The U.S. tech giant rejected the ruling. Google's head of global affairs Kent Walker told AFP the company was being forced to "strip away real-time Search features Europeans love -- like instant pricing and direct availability for hotels, flights, and restaurants -- and dismantle safety protections on Google Play".

"Regulation should improve products, not make them worse," Walker said.

The decision comes at a delicate time for transatlantic relations. The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized European digital regulation, which it accuses of unfairly targeting large U.S. tech companies, and has even threatened to respond with tariffs.

Google faces its first DMA fine following previous multi-million-dollar penalties

This is the first fine imposed on Google for violating the DMA, which has been in effect since 2024. Previously, Brussels had already fined Meta and Apple in 2025 with 200 and 500 million euros, respectively.

The U.S. tech giant has also accumulated record-breaking EU fines: 8.2 billion euros between 2017 and 2019, and another 2.95 billion in September of last year.