The European Commission has not had the best year. It started off with the man they all hoped would go away, Donald Trump, returning to the American presidency. They then became entangled in a massive debate over how many regulations to cut – regulations they had only just put into effect a few years ago. Then, Trump launched a trade war that ultimately forced them to agree to a humiliating, one-sided trade deal which keeps America’s tariffs and will see all the EU’s tariffs ended.
This likely explains the Commission’s announcement last week of a nearly €3 billion fine against Google for abusive practices. Specifically, the European Union found that the company was giving unfair advantage to its own advertising placement services (advertising is extremely lucrative for the platform) and made clear that the only way to avoid the fine would be for Google to sell off its advertising services.
How the Commission reached the fine total (specifically €2.95 billion) is hazy: The guidelines purport to lay out a specific formula, but in reality allow them to levy whatever they feel like, leaving the exact process unknown.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member