The European Union is preparing a high triple-digit million-euro fine for Google, according to a report from Handelsblatt, in what would be its biggest penalty yet under the Digital Markets Act. The Google DMA fine would mark Brussels’ latest attempt to turn the law from a paper threat into an actual cost of doing business for Big Tech, not just a long negotiation.
The investigation, launched in March 2025, focuses on whether Google gives its own services an unfair edge in search results. That is the sort of self-preferencing accusation regulators have been circling for years, and Google is now dealing with it under a rulebook designed specifically to stop platform giants from steering traffic their own way.
Google DMA fine could be the largest under the law
Handelsblatt said the decision is close to being finalized and could be announced before the summer break. If that happens, it would set a loud precedent: the EU is willing to use the DMA not just to negotiate product changes, but to punish companies that move too slowly or halfheartedly.
That fits a familiar Brussels pattern. The Commission has spent years pushing antitrust cases against Google, but the DMA gives it a faster, more targeted tool aimed at gatekeepers like search and mobile platforms. It is also a reminder that the regulator is not trying to invent new business models for Google; it wants the company to stop favoring itself.
Google says Search is getting worse under the rules
Google has pushed back hard. A company spokesperson said the changes already made to Search under the DMA amount to ”the biggest downgrade in the product’s history,” and argued that Europeans are getting a worse experience. That is a neat way of saying compliance is painful, which is probably the point when regulators force a dominant product to share the stage.
Thomas Regnier, a Commission spokesperson, said the EU is more interested in securing compliance than in handing out penalties. But he also made clear that Brussels is ready to escalate if talks fail, which is not exactly the language of a friendly product review.
What happens after the Google DMA fine
- The reported fine would be the largest the EU has imposed for a DMA breach.
- The case centers on Google Search and whether it gives preference to Google-owned services.
- The Commission recently gave Google a little more time after a previous proposal fell short.
The more interesting question is whether the fine changes Google’s behavior or just becomes the entry fee for keeping its search design intact. The Commission has signaled patience, but not infinite patience, and if this penalty lands as reported, other gatekeepers will read it as a warning shot: comply first, complain later.