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Google has offered the European Union a new set of adtech policy changes aimed at easing access for publishers and advertisers while firmly rejecting regulators’ push to divest part of its advertising business. The proposal comes as EU antitrust pressure intensifies over Google’s dominance in the digital ad supply chain.
Google was fined €2.95 billion in September for favouring its own display advertising tools, reinforcing the central role of its AdX exchange. The EU had asked the company to propose measures by November, even hinting that selling part of the business may be necessary to resolve conflicts of interest. A similar case is ongoing in the United States.
Google said its proposal mirrors what it submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice and includes immediate product changes, more interoperability, and increased flexibility for publishers.
In a blogpost, Google stated,
“Our proposal fully addresses the EC’s decision without a disruptive break-up that would harm thousands of European publishers and advertisers.”
The company added it will allow publishers to set different minimum prices for different bidders in Google Ad Manager, and improve compatibility across its ad tools to give advertisers more choice.
Sources told the European Commission could still issue a breakup order later if Google continues anti-competitive practices, following Microsoft’s precedent from two decades ago. Meanwhile, the U.S. court’s eventual ruling could also influence the EU’s next steps.
Google argues that divesting AdX would be “technically unworkable” and create prolonged uncertainty for the global advertising ecosystem. The EU is expected to review Google’s proposal in the coming weeks.
