Monday, 17 August 2026Europe · Analysis
Independent · Brussels & Berlin
Person
European Commission spokesperson, European Commission
The European Commission says the search giant abused its gatekeeper position on Google Play and Search, marking the largest DMA penalty against a single company to date.
Brussels asserts sovereign right to regulate digital markets while Roberto Viola leads delegation for preliminary dialogue with US counterparts amid escalating transatlantic friction.
Christophe Fouquet says Brussels is regulating before European industry has built competitive AI products, with 99 per cent of ASML sales already outside Europe.
Thirty parliamentarians from six groups demand urgent reform after Anthropic's model outperforms humans in finding vulnerabilities, while the company declines to appear before a parliamentary hearing.
The Commission's safety unit has 36 staff and no access to Mythos, while the UK institute analysed it within days. MEPs and safety groups demand urgent reinforcement.
The USTR accuses the EU of discriminatory enforcement against American firms while European companies operate freely in the United States, citing recent fines on X and Google as evidence.
The European Commission is considering a one-year grace period for high-risk AI breaches and pushing transparency fines to 2027, after lobbying from the Trump administration and European industrial groups.
Brussels says regulation is a sovereign right after US president calls European tech laws discriminatory and warns of substantial new tariffs and chip export restrictions.
The company says the voluntary code creates legal uncertainties and exceeds the AI Act's scope, while the Commission warns non-signatories face tighter scrutiny.
Brussels has given OpenAI, Google, Meta and others weeks to sign up to guidance on transparency, copyright and systemic risk, or face tougher scrutiny under the AI Act from 2 August.
Henna Virkkunen suggests delaying high-risk AI rules as industry lobbying and US pressure mount, prompting warnings that Europe is dismantling its own regulatory credibility.
Preliminary verdict under Digital Services Act could mean fine of up to 6% of global turnover as separate election integrity probe continues
European Commission teams in Brussels and Seville will scrutinise whether X's algorithm gives the AfD leader an unfair advantage weeks before Germany's federal election, as the bloc's landmark case against the platform nears a decision.
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