The EU has just fined Google 890 million for the DMA. The figure weighs less than a paragraph almost hidden in the statement

The European Commission announced this Thursday two fines for a total of 890 million euros to Google for violating the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA). There are 460 million for self-preference in Google Search and 430 million for blocking Google Play developers who want to offer payment alternatives outside the store.

It is the first firm sanction against Google under the DMA. Arrives less than a week after the 550 million to AliExpress under the Digital Services Lawthe sister standard that monitors the sale of products on platforms.

In detail. The two breaches point to the core of Google’s business.

1. In Searchplaces its own services (Shopping, Hotels, Flights, sports results…) at the top of the page, with rich visual formats, its own filters and graphic elements that rivals cannot replicate. External comparators, such as Idealo, Trivago or Skyscanner, appear below and in a simple list format.
2. In Playdevelopers could not freely link to their own websites or alternative stores to complete the purchase. And when they did, Google continued to charge a commission on those external transactions for a period that the Commission considers “excessive.”

The Commission gives Google 60 days to correct both practices. If you do not do so, you are exposed to periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of your daily worldwide turnover.

Between the lines. The figure is impressive but is relative if we consider that Alphabet had a turnover of more than $350 billion in 2025 and the DMA allows sanctions of up to 10% of global turnover. That is to say, the 890 million are a lot of money but they are far from the legal ceiling: the penalty could have reached 35,000 million.

The most important paragraph is almost hidden in the Commission’s statement: Google has submitted proposals on “how it plans to apply the decision’s principles to summaries and AI mode.” That is, the AI Overviews that already appear on the classic results also have to be subject to the rules of the DMA. There the technical complexity skyrockets because a LLM that synthesizes information from dozens of sources does not separate its own services from those of others with the same cleanliness.

The context. Google has already accumulated almost 10 billion euros in European fines since 2017.

The difference with the old sanctions is one of method. Those were antitrust: They came after years of investigation and punished already consolidated practices. The DMA operates in reverse. Establish ex ante rules for gatekeepers or designated “gatekeepers” (Alphabet has been since September 2023) and sanctions continued non-compliance. The Commission no longer disputes whether Google is dominant. Part of it is.

Yes, but. Kent Walker, president of Global Affairs of Google, has reacted harshly. It has said that complying with the DMA will force the company to “remove real-time search features that Europeans appreciate” and “dismantle security protections on Google Play.” “It is not fair competition, it is a worsening of the product driven by a small group of complainants with particular interests,” he added.

The Commission itself acknowledges, however, that Google has made considerable progress during the investigation. It has started testing changes to the presentation of Shopping, Hotels and Flights, and the regulator is examining them. The fine punishes already completed non-compliance. The real negotiation is about what’s next.

And now what. Three open fronts:

1. Google can appeal to the General Court of the EU. Given the track record, it likely will. These resources take years. This month, without going any further, the 2018 fine has been settled. Eight years.
2. The technical adaptation in Search and Play will have to be verified. Rivals have been complaining for a decade that Google’s solutions are more cosmetic than anything else and that its dominant position remains intact after each round.
3. The dialogue on AI Mode remains open. This is where how the search for the future is regulated is decided, and where the Commission has fewer precedents to rely on.

The next round is not about ten blue links under a search bar.

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Featured image | Xataka