Brussels: The European Commission has imposed a total fine of £890 million on Google for failing to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The penalties are divided into two separate fines: £460 million for self-preferencing its own services on Google Search and £430 million for restricting businesses from directing consumers to alternative purchase channels on Google Play.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, emphasized the importance of fair competition, stating that the best products should succeed based on merit rather than ownership by a dominant search engine. She highlighted the DMA's role in ensuring fairness and innovation in digital markets for European consumers. Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, reiterated the Commission's commitment to applying the DMA to protect businesses and innovation, urging Google to cease its non-compliance.
In a separate announcement, the European Commission has approved Sweden's payment request for £1.47 billion under the NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Facility. This approval signifies Sweden's satisfactory completion of the required milestones and targets, bringing the total funds disbursed to Sweden under the facility to £3.11 billion, representing 90.34% of the Swedish recovery and resilience plan.
Additionally, Greece has received its first payment of £118.2 million under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence instrument. SAFE, a £150 billion financial instrument, supports joint procurement of defence systems within the EU. The payment will enable Greece to enhance its defence investments and military capabilities, aligning with the European Commission's ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030 plan.
In response to recent storms, the European Commission has approved advance payments of £103.6 million from the EU Solidarity Fund to Malta, Portugal, and Spain. These funds aim to alleviate the financial burden of reconstruction efforts in these countries. Malta, Portugal, and Spain experienced significant damage from storms earlier in 2026, with funding allocated to address infrastructure damage and support affected communities.
Lastly, the European Commission released its seventh assessment report on readmission cooperation with third countries, under Article 25a of the Visa Code. The report evaluates cooperation levels for 28 visa-required countries in 2025. While no new restrictive visa measures are proposed this year, the report reaffirms ongoing proposals for Senegal and highlights recent improvements in cooperation with other countries, leading to the withdrawal of previous proposals.