Google and Elon Musk’s X platform could be the next companies targeted by the European Commission for penalties, despite concerns about possible retaliatory tariffs from the US.
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Brussels continues to strictly implement the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), which contains a list of practices aimed at facilitating the transition of users between competing online services, including social networks, browsers and app stores. The first to be hit were Apple and Meta
, which, according to the regulator’s decision, failed to comply with a number of DMA requirements, introducing measures that increase the dependence of business users and ordinary consumers on their platforms.
Google and X could be the next targets of regulatory pressure from the European Commission, according to three people familiar with the matter. Despite concerns about possible retaliatory tariffs from the United States, Brussels has maintained a hard line on digital compliance. But the Google probe concerns a 2021 case in which the company is suspected of favoring its own advertising services.
If the European Commission decides to force Google to sell off part of its advertising business, it would be the first time in history that the EU’s antitrust authority has taken such a drastic measure. Commission sources stress that such an order has never been issued before, even in the long-running antitrust case against Microsoft. The possible split of the business has become a subject of intense discussion following a recent US court ruling that Google illegally dominates two segments of online advertising technology – ad placement platforms and ad exchanges.
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The ruling could provide legal grounds for action by U.S. antitrust agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is considering forcing a breakup of Google’s advertising business. According to Zach Meyers, a researcher at the Center for Regulation in Europe (CERRE), it creates a favorable environment for coordinated action by the EU. If the U.S. continues to pressure Google, it could give European Commission antitrust chief Teresa Ribera political cover to make similar decisions in Europe.
The question remains, however, how will international pressure influence the EU’s digital regulatory course? US President Donald Trump has already criticized the DMA, calling it, in effect, a hidden tariff against US corporations. Trump mentioned the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in his executive order issued in February. Ribera, for her part, rejected the possibility of concessions and said that all companies operating in the EU are obliged to comply with European law and respect European values.
The EU’s political resilience and regulatory autonomy are being tested amid growing pressure from the US. The outcome of the ongoing cases against Google and X will be a litmus test of the effectiveness of the DMA. The decision on the possible separation of Google’s advertising business will not only set a legal precedent, but also an indicator of Europe’s readiness to defend its own antitrust priorities in the global tech arena.