Ribera ‘respectfully curious’ as to why a US judge spared Google
After an American judge threw out a bid by Washington to break up Google, the EU’s competition chief wants to learn more.
European Union competition chief Teresa Ribera expressed curiosity about the reasoning behind a U.S. judge's decision not to force Google to break up its advertising business. Ribera emphasized the need for regulatory consistency both for global companies, users, and regulators. The EU's competition chief's comments come days after the U.S. judge declined to order Google to sell its ad exchange.
The U.S. government's threats of tariffs in response to EU enforcement, combined with its own Big Tech crackdown, have raised concerns that American unpredictability could undermine Europe's efforts to rein in dominant platforms. EU officials have not yet seen the judge's reasoning, which remains sealed, but Ribera said she was "respectfully curious" to review it.
The EU faces challenges in staying consistent with other authorities, as U.S. courts have imposed remedies on Big Tech companies that differ from the EU's approach. For instance, a recent U.S. court ruling barred Apple from taking a commission on purchases made through external links in apps, reflecting a different stance than the EU's Digital Markets Act.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
