EU readies record DMA fine
What happened
- European Union regulators are preparing a major Digital Markets Act fine against Alphabet’s Google over alleged search self-preferencing, according to reports published on May 26. - Handelsblatt reported the penalty could reach a high triple-digit million-euro sum, which would make it the largest fine imposed under the DMA. - The European Commission has not announced a decision; its March 19, 2025 preliminary findings remain the latest official step.
Why it matters
The European Commission is preparing a potentially record Digital Markets Act fine against Alphabet’s Google over how it presents its own services in search results, according to multiple media reports published on May 26 and May 27. The case centers on whether Google gave more favorable placement to its own vertical services, including shopping, hotel and flight products, than to rivals across the European Union. The Commission has not yet announced a final decision. Its latest official action in the case was a March 19, 2025 statement of preliminary findings saying Alphabet was, in the Commission’s preliminary view, failing to comply with the DMA. ### What exactly is the EU accusing Google of in search? The European Commission said on March 25, 2024 that it had opened non-compliance proceedings against Alphabet over concerns that Google Search was preferencing Google’s own vertical search services over similar rival services. The regulator named examples including Google Shopping, Google Flights and Google Hotels, and said it was examining whether Google’s display of search results breached Article 6(5) of the DMA. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Brussels said again on March 19, 2025 that its preliminary view was that “certain features and functionalities” of Google Search treated Alphabet’s own services more favorably than rival ones. The Commission said the DMA requires transparent, fair and non-discriminatory treatment of third-party services by designated gatekeepers. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) ### Why is this a DMA case rather than an older antitrust case? The DMA is the European Union’s ex-ante rulebook for large online platforms designated as gatekeepers, and the Commission is its sole enforcer. That matters because the law sets upfront obligations for companies such as Alphabet rather than requiring regulators to prove a full abuse-of-dominance case first. Google has faced a similar issue before under traditional competition law. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The EU Court of Justice on Sept. 10, 2024 upheld the Commission’s Google Shopping decision, which had found that Google abused a dominant position by favoring results from its own specialized product search service. ### How large could the penalty be? CNBC, citing a Handelsblatt report based on commission sources, said on May 26 that the European Union was planning to fine Google a high triple-digit million-euro amount. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Other reports described the expected sanction as the largest penalty yet under the DMA, though the Commission has not confirmed any figure publicly. (eur-lex.europa.eu) The Commission’s own March 2024 statement said DMA fines can reach up to 10% of a company’s total worldwide turnover, or up to 20% for repeated infringements. Any final Google fine in the hundreds of millions of euros would therefore sit well below the law’s maximum ceiling. ### Can Google still avoid or reduce the fine? (cnbc.com) Bloomberg reported on May 6, 2026 that Google had proposed changes to how it displays some news results in a separate EU search-related case in an effort to avoid additional fines. While that report concerned publishers’ complaints rather than the self-preferencing case, it showed Google continuing to offer product changes as it deals with EU scrutiny over search ranking and display. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Google said in March 2024 that it was making changes in Europe to comply with the DMA, after what it described as months of product testing and engineering work. The company did not concede wrongdoing in that post, but said it was adjusting search and other services for EU users as the law took effect. ### Where does this fit in the EU’s wider Google crackdown? (bloomberg.com) The Commission opened another set of DMA specification proceedings involving Google on Jan. 27, 2026, covering Android interoperability and online search data sharing. Those proceedings are separate from the self-preferencing case, but they show Brussels continuing to press Google across several parts of its platform business. (blog.google) Google has also accumulated large EU competition penalties outside the DMA. The Commission said on Sept. 5, 2025 that it fined Google 2.95 billion euros in the adtech market, and Bloomberg reported in May 2026 that Google’s running total of EU competition fines stood at about 9.5 billion euros. ### What happens next in this case? The March 19, 2025 preliminary findings did not prejudge the outcome of the investigation, the Commission said. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The next formal step would be a final Commission decision setting out whether Alphabet breached the DMA and, if so, what fine or compliance measures apply. The Commission’s case register still lists the Google Search self-preferencing matter as case DMA.100193 under Article 6(5). (ec.europa.eu) Until Brussels publishes a decision, the reported fine remains an expected enforcement move rather than an announced penalty. (digital-markets-act-cases.ec.europa.eu) (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu)
Key numbers
- European Union regulators are preparing a major Digital Markets Act fine against Alphabet’s Google over alleged search self-preferencing, according to reports published on May 26.
- The European Commission has not announced a decision; its March 19, 2025 preliminary findings remain the latest official step.
- The European Commission is preparing a potentially record Digital Markets Act fine against Alphabet’s Google over how it presents its own services in search results, according to multiple media reports published on May 26 and May 27.
- Its latest official action in the case was a March 19, 2025 statement of preliminary findings saying Alphabet was, in the Commission’s preliminary view, failing to comply with the DMA.
What happens next
- The European Commission is preparing a potentially record Digital Markets Act fine against Alphabet’s Google over how it presents its own services in search results, according to multiple media reports published on May 26 and May 27.
- CNBC, citing a Handelsblatt report based on commission sources, said on May 26 that the European Union was planning to fine Google a high triple-digit million-euro amount.
- (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Other reports described the expected sanction as the largest penalty yet under the DMA, though the Commission has not confirmed any figure publicly.
Quick answers
What happened in EU readies record DMA fine?
European Union regulators are preparing a major Digital Markets Act fine against Alphabet’s Google over alleged search self-preferencing, according to reports published on May 26. Handelsblatt reported the penalty could reach a high triple-digit million-euro sum, which would make it the largest fine imposed under the DMA. The European Commission has not announced a decision; its March 19, 2025 preliminary findings remain the latest official step.
Why does EU readies record DMA fine matter?
The European Commission is preparing a potentially record Digital Markets Act fine against Alphabet’s Google over how it presents its own services in search results, according to multiple media reports published on May 26 and May 27. The case centers on whether Google gave more favorable placement to its own vertical services, including shopping, hotel and flight products, than to rivals across the European Union. The Commission has not yet announced a final decision. Its latest official action in the case was a March 19, 2025 statement of preliminary findings saying Alphabet was, in the Commission’s preliminary view, failing to comply with the DMA. What exactly is the EU accusing Google of in search? The European Commission said on March 25, 2024 that it had opened non-compliance proceedings against Alphabet over concerns that Google Search was preferencing Google’s own vertical search services over similar rival services. The regulator named examples including Google Shopping, Google Flights and Google Hotels, and said it was examining whether Google’s display of search results breached Article 6(5) of the DMA. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Brussels said again on March 19, 2025 that its preliminary view was that “certain features and functionalities” of Google Search treated Alphabet’s own services more favorably than rival ones. The Commission said the DMA requires transparent, fair and non-discriminatory treatment of third-party services by designated gatekeepers. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Why is this a DMA case rather than an older antitrust case? The DMA is the European Union’s ex-ante rulebook for large online platforms designated as gatekeepers, and the Commission is its sole enforcer. That matters because the law sets upfront obligations for companies such as Alphabet rather than requiring regulators to prove a full abuse-of-dominance case first. Google has faced a similar issue before under traditional competition law. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The EU Court of Justice on Sept. 10, 2024 upheld the Commission’s Google Shopping decision, which had found that Google abused a dominant position by favoring results from its own specialized product search service. How large could the penalty be? CNBC, citing a Handelsblatt report based on commission sources, said on May 26 that the European Union was planning to fine Google a high triple-digit million-euro amount. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Other reports described the expected sanction as the largest penalty yet under the DMA, though the Commission has not confirmed any figure publicly. (eur-lex.europa.eu) The Commission’s own March 2024 statement said DMA fines can reach up to 10% of a company’s total worldwide turnover, or up to 20% for repeated infringements. Any final Google fine in the hundreds of millions of euros would therefore sit well below the law’s maximum ceiling. Can Google still avoid or reduce the fine? (cnbc.com) Bloomberg reported on May 6, 2026 that Google had proposed changes to how it displays some news results in a separate EU search-related case in an effort to avoid additional fines. While that report concerned publishers’ complaints rather than the self-preferencing case, it showed Google continuing to offer product changes as it deals with EU scrutiny over search ranking and display. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Google said in March 2024 that it was making changes in Europe to comply with the DMA, after what it described as months of product testing and engineering work. The company did not concede wrongdoing in that post, but said it was adjusting search and other services for EU users as the law took effect. Where does this fit in the EU’s wider Google crackdown? (bloomberg.com) The Commission opened another set of DMA specification proceedings involving Google on Jan. 27, 2026, covering Android interoperability and online search data sharing. Those proceedings are separate from the self-preferencing case, but they show Brussels continuing to press Google across several parts of its platform business. (blog.google) Google has also accumulated large EU competition penalties outside the DMA. The Commission said on Sept. 5, 2025 that it fined Google 2.95 billion euros in the adtech market, and Bloomberg reported in May 2026 that Google’s running total of EU competition fines stood at about 9.5 billion euros. What happens next in this case? The March 19, 2025 preliminary findings did not prejudge the outcome of the investigation, the Commission said. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The next formal step would be a final Commission decision setting out whether Alphabet breached the DMA and, if so, what fine or compliance measures apply. The Commission’s case register still lists the Google Search self-preferencing matter as case DMA.100193 under Article 6(5). (ec.europa.eu) Until Brussels publishes a decision, the reported fine remains an expected enforcement move rather than an announced penalty. (digital-markets-act-cases.ec.europa.eu) (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu)
