Alphabet’s Google is making fresh concessions to the European Union by proposing changes to its search results to give more visibility to rival services. The move comes as the tech giant seeks to avoid a potentially hefty fine following charges from the European Commission over alleged violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
According to documents obtained by Reuters, Google submitted its latest proposal just three months after EU regulators accused the company of prioritizing its own services such as Google Shopping, Google Hotels, and Google Flights over those of competitors. The Commission had warned that such self-preferencing practices breached the DMA, which came into effect earlier this year to rein in the power of Big Tech firms operating within the European single market.
The proposal suggests that Google is willing to restructure the way results are displayed, allowing third-party comparison sites to be more prominently featured. This includes displaying links to rival platforms and integrating more neutral design features that do not inherently favor Google’s own vertical search tools.
The European Commission has yet to respond publicly to Google’s proposed changes. However, the offer signals the seriousness with which Google is treating the threat of sanctions. The DMA grants the Commission the power to impose fines of up to 10% of a company’s global annual turnover, a potentially massive penalty for Google given its size.
This is not the first time Google has come under EU scrutiny. In recent years, the company has faced several multibillion-euro fines related to antitrust behavior. The current case, however, marks one of the first major enforcement actions under the DMA—a regulation designed specifically to create fairer competition in digital markets dominated by so-called “gatekeepers.”
Consumer advocacy groups and rival firms have long argued that Google’s dominance in search has unfairly disadvantaged smaller players. If accepted, Google’s latest measures could mark a turning point in how search results are curated across Europe—potentially reshaping the digital ecosystem for users and businesses alike.
