US court ruling aggravates Brussels’ Google problem
A year ago the European Commission said only a breakup would fix Google's ad tech business. A U.S. judge disagreed.
A recent court ruling in the United States has complicated the European Commission's efforts to address Google's monopoly status, according to a Brussels-based report. In April 2025, a U.S. judge found Google guilty in a lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice, as parallel investigations in both the U.S. and Europe concluded.
However, a few months later, on the same date, the U.S. judge decided against the DoJ's request for Google to divest parts of its business. This decision leaves the European Commission, which has been trying to break up Google, with a more difficult task in advocating for the company's breakup. The ruling has left both the complainants who brought the case and civil society groups concerned that the EU executive may have limited options to weaken Google's dominance in the online advertising market.
Max von Thun, Europe director at the Open Markets Institute, stated that while a Europe-only remedy might be technically possible, its impact would be minimal. Arielle Garcia, CEO of Check My Ads, added that while a Europe-only solution is possible, its effect would be minimal in comparison. The Commission's decision to allow Google to maintain its current business structure has been met with disappointment and frustration from those involved in the case.
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