Common Questions

What does the DMA require Google to share with rivals?: Under the DMA.100209 consultation, the Commission has proposed Google must share anonymised search rankings, user queries, click data and view metrics with rival search engines and AI chatbots on FRAND terms. A binding decision is due 27 July 2026.Source: European Commission
When is the DMA Google FRAND decision?: The binding DMA decision on Google's search-data sharing obligation is expected by 27 July 2026, six days before the EU AI Act AI Office gains full enforcement powers over GPAI providers on 2 August 2026.Source: European Commission
What fines has the EU issued under the DMA?: In early 2026 the Commission fined Apple €500m for restricting developer communications, Meta €200m for its pay-or-consent advertising model, and X €120m under the Digital Services Act. These were the first major DMA enforcement actions.Source: European Commission
What is FRAND in the context of the DMA?: FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) is the standard the DMA requires Alphabet to apply when sharing search data with rivals. It prevents Google from setting access terms that are commercially prohibitive or selectively restrictive.Source: European Commission
Why is the EU preparing a record fine against Google under the Digital Markets Act?: Brussels is preparing a high triple-digit million euro fine under Article 6(5) for Google self-preferencing its own vertical services and embedding Gemini in Search. Internal proceedings closed months ago; sources confirmed preparation on 25 May 2026, suggesting the fine was held back on geopolitical grounds.Source: Commission sources via Reuters, Politico
How many DMA enforcement actions are running against Google at the same time?: Three: the Article 6(5) self-preferencing fine (expected before summer recess), the DMA.100209 search-data FRAND ruling due 27 July, and EU AI Act GPAI enforcement activating 2 August. They are legally separate and run on independent tracks.Source: European Commission
What fines has the EU already levied under the Digital Markets Act?: Brussels fined Apple €500m, Meta €200m, and X €120m under the DMA and DSA in early 2026. The forthcoming Google Article 6(5) fine in the high triple-digit million euro range would be the largest single DMA fine to date.Source: European Commission

Background

The Digital Markets Act entered into force in November 2022 and became fully applicable in May 2023. It designates large online platforms as "gatekeepers" subject to obligations and prohibitions designed to ensure contestable and fair digital markets. As of 2024, the Commission had designated six gatekeepers covering 22 core platform services — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft. Non-compliance carries fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover, rising to 20% for repeat infringement, with structural remedies including break-up orders in the most serious cases.

In April 2026, the Commission opened a public consultation under Article 6(11) requiring Google to share anonymised search rankings, user queries, click data, and view metrics with rival search engines and AI chatbots on FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) terms. A binding decision on that docket (DMA.100209) is due 27 July 2026, six days before the EU AI Act AI Office gains full enforcement powers over GPAI models on 2 August. The Commission also issued supplementary objections to Meta over WhatsApp AI access, and Brussels fined Apple €500m, Meta €200m, and X €120m under the DMA and DSA in early 2026.

On 25 May 2026, Commission sources confirmed Brussels is preparing its first major Article 6(5) self-preferencing fine against Google, in the high triple-digit million euro range, covering Google promoting its own vertical services above rivals and Gemini's integration in Search. Internal proceedings closed months ago; the fine was held back on geopolitical grounds before sources confirmed its preparation. This creates three stacked enforcement instruments against Google within a six-week window: the Article 6(5) fine (expected before summer recess), the search-data ruling on 27 July, and EU AI Act GPAI enforcement on 2 August. A parallel consultation (DMA.100220) covers Android interoperability with third-party AI services. The Trump administration has branded DMA cloud rules "Economic warfare" and opened a Section 301 investigation; the USTR final determination is due 24 July, one day before the Google search-data ruling.

How the World Sees Them

United States

Washington frames the DMA as targeted economic nationalism. The Section 301 investigation and tariff threats have elevated it from a competition-law dispute to a transatlantic trade issue, with the 24 July USTR determination timed against the peak enforcement window.

Meta and Apple

Having already faced DMA fines in 2026, both companies are watching the Google Article 6(5) and FRAND cases as precedents for how far the Commission will push structural data-sharing mandates.

European Commission

The DMA is the Commission's primary tool for correcting digital market concentration before it becomes entrenched. Competition chief Teresa Ribera called US pressure on enforcement 'blackmail' and said the rulebook is not up for negotiation.

Rival search engines

Companies such as Ecosia, Qwant, and DuckDuckGo stand to gain access to Google's ranking signals under a binding FRAND order; whether that translates to market share gains is untested.