EU fines Google £759m for breaching competition laws on search and app store

Google has been fined 890 million euros (£759 million) by the EU for breaching its laws including by giving more prominence to its own services such as shopping, hotels and sports scores in search results.

The European Commission, which is the EU’s executive arm and enforces competition rules, handed out two separate fines worth 460 million euros (£392 million) and 430 million euros (£367 million).

It said it found two cases of non-compliance, one for self-preferencing on Google Search, and another for preventing the steering of customers towards potentially cheaper services on Google Play.

Google breached the Digital Markets Act by giving preferential treatment to its own services, including shopping, hotels, sports results and transport, over those of other firms in Google Search, according to the commission.

It did this by displaying them more prominently in search results, such as by bumping them up to the top of the page or by using enhanced visuals and filters, which others do not get.

The commission also found that Google prevented app developers from offering cheaper offers to customers in the Google Play app store.

The fine marks the latest big crackdown from the Brussels-based commission which has been taking enforcement action across the big tech industry.

Google recently lost its appeal against a 4.1 billion euro (£3.5 billion) fine imposed by the EU for limiting competition and reducing consumer choice through the dominance of its mobile Android operating system.

Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said: “Google must now bring the non-compliance to an end and to refrain from continuing it in the future.

“Today’s decisions send a clear message: we will not hesitate to use our tools to safeguard business and innovation opportunities opened up by the Digital Markets Act.”

Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google & Alphabet, said: “This implementation of the Digital Markets Act continues to break everyday products.

“To comply, we are having 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.

“This isn’t fair competition; it’s product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants, with European businesses and consumers taking the hit.

“Regulation should improve products, not make them worse.”