The European Commission found that Google’s search engine rankings and anti-guidance violated the Digital Markets Act.
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that his administration is opening a Section 301 investigation into the European Union in response to fines imposed on U.S. companies, including a recent €890 million ($1 billion) fine against Google. Trump says Section 301 investigation will overturn EU sanctions and likely lead to “a substantial TARIFF.”
“The United States of America is not a ‘PIN’ for Europe, and we will not allow it to be,” Trump wrote. “Please let this TRUTH serve to demonstrate that we will immediately launch a 301 investigation into the practice of “stealing” from American businesses and, therefore, the American taxpayer. »
The European Commission has fined Google $1 billion for using Google Search to unfairly promote its own travel and shopping tools, and for blocking developers from promoting alternative payment options in the Google Play Store. Both actions violated the Digital Markets Act, a wide-ranging 2022 regulation that the EU has used as justification to fine companies like Meta, Apple and now Google.
Since the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s previous global tariff regime in February, the Trump administration has relied on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 as one of several loopholes to introduce new tariffs. The law allows the U.S. Trade Representative to investigate trading partners and impose tariffs when their practices are found to unfairly burden or restrict U.S. commerce. Ironically, like EU fines, Section 301 tariffs can also be challenged in court and overturned.
