EU prepares record Google fine over search bias under DMA

Brussels is preparing to fine Alphabet’s Google a high triple-digit million-euro sum over search bias, a penalty that would be the largest yet under the Digital Markets Act if it is finalized. The move would test whether Europe’s new gatekeeper rules can force lasting changes in how Google Search steers traffic, or whether the bloc is still relying on penalties that land heavily but alter little.

The case began on March 25, 2024, when the European Commission opened non-compliance proceedings over concerns that Google Search was favoring Alphabet’s own vertical search services, including Google Shopping, Google Flights and Google Hotels, over rival services. On March 19, 2025, the Commission said preliminary findings showed certain Google Search features and functionalities treated Alphabet’s own services more favorably than competitors, and it separately said Google Play was not complying with DMA steering rules because app developers could not freely direct users to other channels for better offers.

That record explains why regulators have treated the matter as more than a narrow product tweak. The draft case materials say the investigation is focused on whether Alphabet ranks its own services more favorably on the search engine results page than similar third-party services, which goes to the core of the DMA’s ban on self-preferencing by dominant platforms. Google has argued that DMA-driven changes come with trade-offs, saying the rules have forced product adjustments and removed useful search features, especially in travel.

Brussels has also widened the pressure around search rather than relying on one fine alone. On January 27, 2026, the Commission opened specification proceedings to help Google comply with interoperability and search data-sharing obligations, and on April 16 it proposed that third-party search engines get access to ranking, query, click and view data on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. The Commission has already shown it is willing to go big on enforcement, fining Google €2.95 billion on September 5, 2025, in a separate adtech case over self-preferencing. For users, rivals and Google’s business model, the real question is whether a record DMA fine will change search behavior, or whether only structural remedies can do that.