Trump threatens EU over Google

Niklas Treppner and Andrej Sokolow

Brussels (dpa) — US President Donald Trump has threatened Brussels with countermeasures following the latest massive fine imposed by the European Commission on US tech giant Google.

The European Commission imposed a fine of €2.95 billion ($3.5 billion) on Google on Friday for breaching EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the advertising technology industry.

The Brussels authority stated that Google had breached antitrust rules “by favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of competing providers of advertising technology services, advertisers and online publishers.”

The commission ordered Google “to bring these self-preferencing practices to an end.”

Trump wrote on his online platform Truth Social that he would feel compelled to initiate a procedure for new tariffs if US companies continued to be charged.

“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,” Trump posted.

Trump threatened an investigation based on Section 301 of US trade law, which provides for tariffs in response to unfair trade practices.

“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 nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these Taxpaying American Companies,” he wrote.

The commission’s investigation found that Google holds a dominant market position with its products. The company has abused this position since 2014 to give its own products an advantage, it said.

As a result, Google has violated Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Google’s business model creates a conflict of interest: The tech company not only advertises itself but also acts as an intermediary between advertisers and those who provide online advertising space, the commission said.

The European Commission is now urging Google to stop favouring itself.

The main source of the company’s revenue is advertising, according to the commission’s statement.

Google now has 60 days to inform the commission of how it plans to adjust its business model to comply with the regulations.

“Today’s decision shows that Google abused its dominant position in adtech harming publishers, advertisers and consumers. This behaviour is illegal under EU antitrust rules,” top EU official Teresa Ribera said.

“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,” added Ribera, who is the EU’s competition chief.

The US government has long been calling for changes to the strict EU digital laws, which are intended to prevent the spread of false information via US platforms such as X and also affect US companies such as Amazon, Apple, Meta (Facebook’s parent company), Alphabet (Google’s parent company) and Microsoft.

The EU and the US had only agreed on a comprehensive trade agreement in July, the details of which are still being finalized. The Europeans accepted, among other things, a general US tariff of 15% on their exports to the US.