Google Hit with €890 Million EU Fine Over DMA Violations in Search and Play Store

Alphabet-owned Google has once again been hit with a heavy penalty by the European Union (EU), this time under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which found the U.S. tech giant had 'excessively favored' its own search engine features, resulting in a hefty fine of €890 million (approximately NT$32.74 billion). This latest sanction not only underscores Europe’s strict regulatory stance toward Silicon Valley tech giants but also risks reigniting tensions with former U.S. President Donald Trump, potentially casting a shadow over already fragile U.S.-EU trade relations.

The European Commission told international media that, according to its investigation, Google had long inappropriately favored its own search services and blocked app developers from directing users outside the Google Play Store. Of the total fine, €460 million targets search-related monopolistic behavior, while €430 million (approximately NT$15.82 billion) addresses violations related to Play Store operations. The Commission has given Google 60 days to comply, or face ongoing periodic penalty payments.

Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Competition, emphasized: 'The best products should succeed because they offer better services, not because they belong to a company that owns a search engine.'

On September 10, 2025, in Strasbourg, eastern France, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual 'State of the European Union' address to the European Parliament. (AP)

Cumulative Fines Exceed €10.4 Billion

In response to the ruling, Kent Walker, Google’s President of Global Affairs, immediately pushed back, stating: 'This enforcement approach by the EU is undermining products people use every day. To comply, we’ve had to remove real-time search features that European users love—such as instant pricing and availability for hotels, flights, and restaurants—and dismantle security safeguards in Google Play.'

This follows earlier fines of €500 million (approximately NT$18.4 billion) against Apple and €200 million against Meta, marking another high-profile penalty from the EU. With this latest €890 million fine, Google’s total penalties under EU scrutiny now surpass €10.4 billion (approximately NT$382.6 billion), far exceeding those imposed on Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.

Key past EU fines against Google include:

- Android monopoly case: €4.125 billion fine - Abuse of advertising technology: €2.95 billion fine - Anti-competitive practices in Google Shopping: €2.42 billion fine

U.S.-EU Tariff Agreement Faces Renewed Turbulence

The timing of this ruling is highly sensitive. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the EU, accusing it of deliberately targeting American tech giants. In September 2025, following a previous Google fine, Trump swiftly retaliated with new tariffs on all 27 EU member states.

Current U.S. President Donald Trump. (AP)

Although the U.S. and EU have signed a trade agreement—under which the EU agreed to raise tariffs on most exports to 15% in exchange for Trump dropping broader trade sanctions—ongoing legal actions by the EU against Silicon Valley giants could trigger another round of punitive tariffs and reignite a second wave of trade conflict between the two economic blocs.