Brussels fines Google 460 million euros over search self-preferencing

The European Commission has fined Alphabet EUR 460 million for breaching Article 6(5) of the Digital Markets Act, finding that Google Search ranks the company’s own services above those of rivals. The non-compliance decision of 23 July 2026, notified under document number C(2026) 5358 final in case DMA.100193, was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 25 September 2026 as C/2026/4985. It orders Alphabet to end the infringement within 60 calendar days of notification and warns of periodic penalty payments if it fails to do so.

The legal framework

The decision was adopted under Articles 29(1), point (a), 30(1), point (a), and 31(1), point (h), of Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act, OJ L 265, 12.10.2022, p. 1). Article 6(5) of that regulation bars a gatekeeper from treating services and products it offers more favourably, in ranking and related indexing and crawling, than similar services or products of third parties, and requires transparent, fair and non-discriminatory ranking conditions.

Alphabet Inc. was designated as a gatekeeper on 5 September 2023, with its online search engine Google Search listed as a core platform service (OJ C, 14.8.2026, C/2026/4443). The Commission’s assessment applies where Alphabet offers a service distinct from Google Search that is ranked by that search engine, where third parties offer similar services also ranked there, and where Alphabet’s own service is treated more favourably.

The services at issue

The decision identifies nine Alphabet services ranked more favourably than comparable third-party offerings:

• comparison-shopping services;
• flights intermediation service;
• trains intermediation service;
• lodging intermediation service;
• places intermediation service;
• Google Maps;
• translation service;
• sports information service;
• gaming service.

Google Maps is designated as an online intermediation service under the same regulation and is therefore a distinct service from Google Search; the directions button and the address button are reserved exclusively for it, so rival mapping services are ranked less favourably.

How the results page favours Alphabet

For transactional queries, the product ads, products, airlines, trains, lodging and places units constitute distinct services: they display competing offers with prices, ratings and reviews, and add query shortcut chips below the search bar, including dropdown menus for travel dates and number of guests. They are not assembled by searching, in principle, all websites, but are open only to a limited set of sites that supply Alphabet with data feeds. Alphabet’s own services appear in rich format on top of the organic results, while third-party price comparison tools, meta-search engines and booking platforms do not.

For content-related queries, the translation, sports and games units are likewise distinct services, relying on Alphabet’s own technologies and licensed data. Similar third-party online translation services, sports information services and games websites are ranked on the page, but Alphabet’s units are displayed prominently at the top.

Deadline, remedies and penalties

The Commission orders Alphabet, under Article 29(5), to bring the non-compliance effectively to an end within 60 calendar days from notification of the decision, and to adopt measures preventing recurrence. It is for Alphabet to choose the remedy: it may extend to third-party services the prominence it gives its own, or remove all prominence from its own services.

The fine of EUR 460 000 000 was imposed under Article 30(1) and does not exceed the maximum of 10% of Alphabet’s worldwide turnover. Failure to comply with the cease-and-desist order triggers periodic penalty payments within the limits of Article 31(1).

Why it matters

The decision reaches beyond Google: every comparison-shopping site, travel meta-search engine, booking platform, mapping service, translation tool, sports information provider and games website competing for visibility on Google Search in the EU is directly affected by how Alphabet reorders its results page. The 60-day deadline makes the remedy timetable concrete, and the threat of periodic penalties gives the Commission a recurring lever if compliance stalls.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, C series, C/2026/4985, 25 September 2026, section I (official reference: C/2026/4985; case DMA.100193; C(2026) 5358 final).