Europe Fines Google €2.95B for Adtech Monopoly Despite Trump Threats
▼ Summary
– The European Commission has fined Google 2.95 billion euros ($3.45 billion) for anti-competitive advertising practices, following a complaint from the European Publishers Council.
– The EU investigation found that Google illegally favored its own ad display services, making its AdX marketplace dominant and allowing it to charge higher fees since at least 2014.
– Google has been ordered to end these practices and submit a compliance plan within 60 days, with the European Commission threatening further action if it fails to do so.
– Google plans to appeal the ruling, arguing the decision is wrong and will harm European businesses by making it harder for them to earn money.
– This marks the first time European leaders could face blowback from the US government for targeting Big Tech, despite Google’s strong financial performance.
While Google recently navigated its latest antitrust challenge with the U.S. Department of Justice relatively unscathed, the company now faces a significant financial penalty from European regulators. The European Commission has imposed a €2.95 billion ($3.45 billion) fine on the tech giant for anti-competitive behavior within its advertising technology operations. This marks yet another substantial penalty levied against Google by EU authorities, though it stands out as the first instance where such action may provoke a direct response from U.S. political leadership.
The investigation originated from a 2021 complaint filed by the European Publishers Council. Regulators concluded that Google had systematically favored its own advertising display services, artificially boosting the prominence of its Google Ad Exchange (AdX) marketplace across European digital advertising. This conduct, which dates back to at least 2014, allowed the company to impose inflated fees and suppress fair market competition.
For many corporations, a penalty exceeding three billion dollars would be catastrophic. Google, however, reported net earnings surpassing $28 billion in the second quarter of 2025 alone, with revenues nearing $100 billion. Beyond the financial sanction, the European Commission has mandated that Google cease its anti-competitive advertising tactics and present a detailed compliance plan within 60 days.
European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera emphasized the necessity of the ruling, stating that digital markets must operate with trust and fairness. She warned that failure to propose an adequate remedy would result in further regulatory action. Public institutions, she noted, have a responsibility to intervene when dominant market players abuse their influence.
Google has firmly rejected the decision and announced its intention to appeal. Lee-Anne Mulholland, the company’s head of regulatory affairs, argued that the penalty is unjustified and that the required changes would negatively impact countless European businesses, hindering their ability to generate revenue effectively.
(Source: Ars Technica)
