More than 30 civil society organizations have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanding she proceed with a multi-billion euro fine against Google under the Digital Markets Act, after reports that she personally intervened to block the sanction amid pressure from the Trump administration.
The Allegations
German newspaper Handelsblatt reported in April that the Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition had completed its investigation and was preparing to impose the largest fine yet under the DMA — in the “single digit billions” of euros — over Google’s self-preferencing in search results and anti-steering practices through Google Play Store. The fine had been scheduled for March 2026, but von der Leyen personally decided to postpone it, according to the report.
The open letter, published this week and signed by organizations including AlgorithmWatch, Reporters Without Borders, SOMO, and the Open Markets Institute Europe, states that the delay would “further undermine European innovation, prosperity, democracy and sovereignty”. The signatories note that the move comes amid “sustained pressure from the Trump administration, which has explicitly threatened tariffs, sanctions and other forms of coercion if the EU implements its digital laws or imposes high fines”.
Contradiction With Von der Leyen’s Own Words
Critics have seized on the apparent contradiction with von der Leyen’s own stance from April 2025. In an interview with the Financial Times, she defended the EU’s digital regulations as “sovereign decisions” that are “not in the packages of negotiations” with Washington. The civil society groups wrote that shelving the Google fine “would go against that commitment and encourage the US administration to push for further concessions”.
The European Parliament has also weighed in. In a resolution adopted on April 30, MEPs urged the Commission to conclude “ongoing non-compliance proceedings” under the DMA “without undue delay” and warned against influence from “third countries”. Members criticized the “modest” fines already imposed on Meta and Apple as insufficient for deterrence.
Broader Context
The confrontation unfolds against a turbulent backdrop in EU-US trade relations. The Trump administration has threatened retaliation over EU tech enforcement, even as cumulative EU competition penalties against Google have reached €9.71 billion since 2017. Meanwhile, MLex reported on May 6 that more than 30 organizations wrote to the Commission to “express grave concern” about the reported delay.
The letter concludes with a direct demand: “We call on you to confirm that the DMA will be enforced in accordance with the letter of the law and free from political interference and to ensure the fine against Google is imposed without further delay”.
