Google may have escaped the most serious consequences in its most recent antitrust fight with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), but the European Union is still gunning for the search giant. After a brief delay, the European Commission has announced a substantial 2.95 billion euro ($3.45 billion) fine relating to Google's anti-competitive advertising practices. This is not Google's first big fine in the EU, and it probably won't be the last, but it's the first time European leaders could face blowback from the US government for going after Big Tech.
The case stems from a complaint made by the European Publishers Council in 2021. The ensuing EU investigation determined that Google illegally preferenced its own ad display services, which made its Google Ad Exchange (AdX) marketplace more important in the European ad space. As a result, the competition says Google was able to charge higher fees for its service, standing in the way of fair competition since at least 2014.
A $3.45 billion fine would be a staggering amount for most firms, but Google's earnings have never been higher. In Q2 2025, Google had net earnings of over $28 billion on almost $100 billion in revenue. The European Commission isn't stopping with financial penalties, though. Google has also been ordered to end its anti-competitive advertising practices and submit a plan for doing so within 60 days.
"Google must now come forward with a serious remedy to address its conflicts of interest, and if it fails to do so, we will not hesitate to impose strong remedies," said European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera. "Digital markets exist to serve people and must be grounded in trust and fairness. And when markets fail, public institutions must act to prevent dominant players from abusing their power."
Google will not accept the ruling as it currently stands—company leadership believes that the commission's decision is wrong, and they plan to appeal. "[The decision] imposes an unjustified fine and requires changes that will hurt thousands of European businesses by making it harder for them to make money," said Google's head of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland.
Harsh rhetoric from US
Since returning to the presidency, Donald Trump has taken a renewed interest in defending Big Tech, likely spurred by political support from heavyweights in AI and cryptocurrency. The administration has imposed hefty tariffs on Europe, and Trump recently admonished the EU for plans to place limits on the conduct of US technology firms. That hasn't stopped the administration from putting US tech through the wringer at home, though. After publicly lambasting Intel's CEO and threatening to withhold CHIPS and Science Act funding, the company granted the US government a 10 percent ownership stake.
In just the last few weeks, Trump has threatened additional financial sanctions on the European Union if it goes after US tech behemoths. The Google adtech decision was initially set to be unveiled on Monday, but EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič urged a pause over concerns that the announcement could scuttle ongoing trade discussions with the US government.
This tough talk from the White House comes as Google is also facing regulatory headwinds in US courts. In April, US District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google built an illegal monopoly in online display advertising by rigging parts of the auction process under its control—Brinkema's findings are actually quite similar to the European Commission's.
The DOJ has said it plans to ask the court to force Google to sell Google Ad Manager, but similar efforts to secure a breakup in the search antitrust case fell short. Even if the DOJ can't secure a more favorable judgment when the remedy phase of this case wraps up, the EU may go further. The commission has noted that Google could face additional sanctions, up to and including a breakup, if its proposed fixes don't go far enough. However, the Trump administration will undoubtedly have something to say about that.
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