Google fined nearly 3 billion euros by EU, Trump threatens response
Donald Trump, President of the United States (photo: Getty Images)
The European Union fined Google nearly 3 billion euros for violating antitrust rules. US President Donald Trump threatened to respond to such actions, the press service of the European Commission and Trump reported.
Fine for Google
The European Commission fined Google for abusing its dominant position in the advertising technology market.
According to the investigation, since 2014 the company has favored its own services, such as the DFP ad server and the Google Ads and DV360 tools, to the detriment of competitors, advertisers, and online publishers. These practices, as established in Brussels, violate Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
"Today's decision shows that Google abused its dominant position in adtech, harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. This behavior is illegal under EU antitrust rules," said European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera.
She stressed that digital markets must be built on trust and fairness, ensuring equal conditions for competition and the right of choice for citizens.
The European Commission obliged Google to stop favoring its own services and to eliminate conflicts of interest throughout the entire adtech supply chain. The company was given 60 days to develop a plan to comply with these requirements.
Trump's reaction
Trump stated that in this way the European Union effectively took money that could have gone to investments and jobs in the United States.
"Very unfair, and the American Taxpayer will not stand for it! As I have said before, my Administration will NOT allow these discriminatory actions to stand," he added.
The President recalled that Apple had to pay a fine of 17 billion dollars, which "should not have been charged." The American leader called on the EU to return the money to the company.
"We cannot let this happen to brilliant and unprecedented American Ingenuity and, if it does, I will be forced to start a Section 301 proceeding (to impose tariffs or sanctions against the EU — ed.) to nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these Taxpaying American Companies," he added.
EU fines
On April 23 it became known that Apple and Meta were fined by the European Union 500 and 200 million euros respectively.
The reason was a violation of the new antitrust rules of the Digital Markets Act.
