EU fines Google €3 billion

The European Commission announced Friday that it was imposing a €2.95 billion (CHF 2.76 billion) fine on Google, despite threats from Donald Trump. The European Commission ruled that the American tech giant had abused its dominant position in the online advertising sector.

This sanction was highly anticipated, especially since the Commission had threatened in 2023 to require the splitting of part of the group's activities in this area of ​​online advertising, which it has not decided to do at this stage.

Google responded by denouncing the Commission's "wrong decision" and announced its intention to appeal the penalty. "The European Commission's decision regarding our advertising services is wrong and we will appeal," said the company's vice president of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland.

In a statement sent to AFP, the executive denounced "an unjustified fine." Brussels' decision, she added, "requires changes that will harm thousands of European companies by making it harder for them to make money."