Google Faces Record EU Digital Markets Act Fine

The European Commission is preparing a record Digital Markets Act fine against Google, with possible penalty in the high hundreds of millions of euros. The decision would concern Google’s alleged self-preferencing in search results, especially in shopping, travel, and local search. If adopted, it would exceed the €200 million DMA fine imposed on Apple in April 2025.

The case stems from one of the Commission’s first DMA non-compliance investigations, opened in March 2024. Brussels’ preliminary view is that Google’s ranking practices breach Article 6 DMA by giving preferential treatment to its own services. A separate proceeding, opened in November 2025, concerns the alleged demotion of news publishers in Google Search.

Although the DMA allows fines of up to 10% of a gatekeeper’s worldwide annual turnover for a first infringement, the expected penalty appears modest compared with the legal ceiling. Based on Alphabet’s latest reported revenues, that cap would be roughly €32 billion, depending on exchange rates. The Commission has repeatedly stressed that its priority is compliance rather than imposing the maximum possible fine.

Google disputes the Commission’s position and argues that the demanded search changes would seriously harm the quality of its product for European users. The company is expected to challenge any adverse decision before the General Court. The case also shows that, while the DMA was designed to move faster than traditional antitrust enforcement, major gatekeeper proceedings can still take years to reach a final decision.