The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday that Google violated antitrust laws and that Apple should pay the European Union 13 billion euros in back taxes. Both cases are seen as an attempt by Brussels to close tax loopholes used by American tech giants.
“Ireland granted Apple illegal aid, which Ireland is obliged to return,” ECJ judges said, referring to the company’s agreement with Dublin regarding taxes.
The case against Google dates back to 2017, when the EU accused Google of favoring its own Google Shopping links in searches. Blok argued that this violated its antitrust laws.
Google was fined 2.4 billion euros, but appealed to the ECJ, which has now upheld the fine.
“In light of the characteristics of the market and the specific circumstances of the case, Google’s behavior was discriminatory and did not fall within the scope of competition,” the judges said.
In response, Google announced that they had already made changes back in 2017 to comply with EU regulations.
