EU Fines Google $1 Billion for Favoring Its Own Services
The penalty comes at a risky time for the bloc’s economic relationship with the U.S., which has lashed out over Europe’s tech regulations
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Updated July 23, 2026 10:46 am ET
BRUSSELS—The European Union fined Alphabet’s GOOGL0.65%increase; up pointing triangle Google $1 billion for breaching its digital competition rules in a case that risks aggravating tensions with the Trump administration as it prepares new global tariffs.
The European Commission—the EU’s executive arm—said Thursday that Google unfairly favored its own services on its widely used search engine and that the company imposed restrictions on app developers, preventing them from freely steering users to other offers outside of the company’s Play Store.
The €890 million fine, equivalent to $1.02 billion, comes at a risky time for the EU’s economic relationship with the U.S. The Trump administration—which has repeatedly lashed out at the EU over its tech regulations—is readying new tariffs to replace temporary levies that are due to expire on Friday.
A group of U.S. lawmakers wrote a letter to President Trump this week asking him to use “all available tools,” including tariff investigations, to retaliate against EU tech rules if dialogue with the bloc doesn’t work.
“It is important to make clear that the EU’s access to the U.S. market is not guaranteed and can be limited should the EU continue to pursue discriminatory acts, policies and practices in the digital sector,” the letter said.
Thursday’s fine is Google’s first penalty under the Digital Markets Act, the bloc’s digital antitrust rules. The fine is divided between the commission’s objections to the company’s search engine and Play Store terms.
