Major EU antitrust fine for Google over advertising

The European Commission has determined that Google provided advantages to its own products in its online advertising technology services.

It was stated that this situation made it difficult for rival firms to operate in the market and violated the EU's competition rules. The Commission has notified Google that it must eliminate conflicts of interest and put an end to practices that favor its own services.

Google is required to submit the steps it will take in response to this decision to the EU Commission within 60 days. The investigation began in 2021, and Google was officially charged with competition violations in 2023. The EU argues that Google has abused its market power since 2014 by prioritizing its own services in the advertising market. It was stated that this situation allowed the company to charge higher fees for its services.

The EU Commission has the authority to oversee anti-competitive practices of companies in member states.

Previously, as a result of various investigations into Google, the company had been fined a total of over 8 billion euros.

Reports had surfaced in the press suggesting that the fine was planned to be announced earlier, but was delayed due to concerns that it could harm trade relations between the EU and the US.