Protesters outside Berlaymont urge EU to break-up Google | Euractiv

"Activists and lobby control organisations protested outside the Berlaymont on Monday morning to demand that Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera breaks up Google following the EU's €2.95 billion enforcement on the US giant's AdTech. A group of four lobby oversight organisations - LobbyControl, Rebalance Now, WeAct by Campact, and WeMove Europe - took part in the protest outside the Commission's Berlaymont building. The demo calling for the Commission to break up Google's business followed the decision by the EU's competition unit to fine the tech giant €2.95 billion for breaching the bloc's competition rules."

"The protestors are backed by a petition with more than 150,000 signatures also calling for Google to be broken up - and their hope is the pressure will push Ribera to take a firm stance against Google. Later today the US justice system will kick off a trial to determine remedies on Google in a separate antitrust case. In April a judge ruled that Google's AdTech had violated US antitrust rules. "That's why we chose the date," added Muller, explaining the reason for holding the protest today."

""Even within the EU Commission, leaders like Ursula von der Leyen and Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič are putting the brakes on the move," Max Bank from LobbyControl told Euractiv before the protest. "We need to keep up the public pressure", he added."

Activists and four lobby oversight organisations protested outside the Berlaymont to demand that Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera break up Google after the EU fined the company €2.95 billion for AdTech breaches. The Commission gave Google 60 days to propose remedies and did not rule out structural separation. Protesters carried a petition with over 150,000 signatures urging a firm stance. A separate US antitrust trial on remedies for Google begins the same day, following a US judge's finding that Google's AdTech violated antitrust rules. Some senior EU officials reportedly express caution about structural measures.

Read at Euractiv