EU fines Google over $3 billion for violating antitrust rules in advertising. Trump threatens retaliation

The European Union has fined Google $3.45 billion for violating antitrust rules in the advertising sector. The US President Donald Trump called the EUʼs decision "unfair" and "discriminatory".

Reuters writes about this.

According to the European Commission, Google favours its own advertising technologies, which strengthens the role of its advertising platform Google Ad Exchange and allows it to charge high commissions, harming competitors and online publications.

The regulator ordered Google to stop favouring its own services and resolve conflicts of interest. The company was given 60 days to prepare a plan, and another 30 days to implement it.

The European Publishers Council noted that the fine alone would not eliminate Googleʼs monopoly, and called for more decisive action, including a forced breakup of the company.

Google is critical and plans to appeal the decision, but the European Commission has warned that it may take tougher measures — even forcing the sale of part of the business — if the company does not resolve the conflict of interest issue.

“The fine is unjustified, and the requirements will change the playing field for thousands of European businesses,” said Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Leigh-Anne Mulholland.

Reuters writes that this is Googleʼs fourth fine from European regulators in the past 10 years, and it has increased trade tensions between the US and the EU.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social media account that he would discuss the fine decision directly with the European Union. He threatened to invoke Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows the US to punish foreign countries for “unjustified” or “unlawful” actions that harm American trade.

In the US, Google is due to go to court on 22 September in a case where the Justice Department is looking into the company’s illegal dominance of online advertising technology.

In 2024, Google’s advertising revenue, including search, Gmail, Google Play, Google Maps, YouTube and other services, was $264.6 billion, or 75.6% of the company’s total revenue. This makes Google the world’s leading digital advertising platform.

The company does not disclose revenue from adtech, that is, from Googleʼs technologies and platforms for displaying advertisements on other sites.

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