European publishers, technology companies and startup groups are pressing European Union regulators to bring a nearly two-year investigation into Google’s search practices to a close and impose penalties if violations are confirmed, arguing that prolonged delays risk weakening the bloc’s landmark digital competition law.
In a letter sent to senior European officials, a coalition of industry associations urged the European Commission to conclude its inquiry into whether Google unfairly favored its own services in search results, according to a Reuters exclusive.
The signatories included the European Publishers Council — whose members include Axel Springer, News Corp and Condé Nast — as well as the European Magazine Media Association, the European Tech Alliance and EU Travel Tech. The groups asked the Commission to finalize the case as early as next week.
The appeal highlights mounting pressure within the European Union to demonstrate that its sweeping digital competition rules can be enforced swiftly and decisively. The investigation, launched by the Commission on March 25, 2024 under the Digital Markets Act, examines whether Google improperly privileges its own products in search results at the expense of rivals.
European regulators have said investigations under the Digital Markets Act should generally be concluded within 12 months. But the case has stretched well beyond that timeline, intensifying concerns among publishers and tech startups that enforcement is lagging.
“The European Commission’s credibility is on the line,” the groups wrote in the letter, addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, the bloc’s antitrust chief Teresa Ribera and the European Union’s technology commissioner Henna Virkkunen.
“It is important that sustained pressure to dilute the DMA is not shown to have succeeded,” the letter said. The groups added that delays were hurting European companies by eroding their profitability and limiting their ability to invest and grow.
A spokesman for the European Commission confirmed receipt of the letter and said regulators were working to complete the investigation as quickly as possible, according to Reuters.
The dispute reflects a broader transatlantic friction over the European Union’s efforts to rein in the dominance of large American technology companies — particularly in areas like online search, social media and artificial intelligence — where Brussels has increasingly asserted regulatory authority.
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