EU is Reportedly Planning to Slam Google with Brutal Fine Over Abusing Market Dominance

Google may soon get hit with another massive regulatory blow in Europe, and this one reportedly could land in the high triple-digit millions of euros. According to a new report from German newspaper Handelsblatt, European Union regulators are now nearing a final decision in their ongoing antitrust investigation into Google’s search business (via Reuters).

If things move forward before the summer break as expected, this could reportedly become the largest penalty issued under the EU’s newer Digital Markets Act rules.

EU still thinks Google favors its own services

The investigation itself has been running since March 2025 and mainly focuses on claims that Google gives preferential treatment to its own services inside Search results. In simple words, regulators believe Google may still be steering users toward its own shopping tools, products, or platforms instead of treating competitors equally.

That is exactly what the Digital Markets Act was designed to target. The EU has been aggressively tightening control over major tech platforms lately, especially companies considered “gatekeepers” with massive influence over online ecosystems.

Interestingly, regulators reportedly are still prioritizing compliance over punishment for now. European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the Commission wants solutions first, although officials also warned they are fully prepared to escalate things quickly if needed.

Google says EU rules are hurting Search itself

Google, meanwhile, is not exactly hiding its frustration anymore. The company claims the changes already forced onto Search under DMA rules have seriously damaged the product experience for European users.

In a statement to Reuters, a Google spokesperson said, “The changes we’ve already made to Search under the DMA represent the ​biggest downgrade in the product’s history, creating a ​second-rate experience ⁠for Europeans to the benefit of a few self-interested complainants.”

For those who don’t know, EU and U.S.-based Big Tech have been colliding constantly over AI, advertising, app stores, search dominance, and platform control lately. And with Google sitting directly in the middle of most of those fights, this likely will not be the company’s last major battle with EU regulators either.