Brussels, December 10, 2025 — A broad coalition of civil society groups, media organizations and policy experts has called on the European Commission to reject Google’s offer to settle the adtech case without divestments, warning that the proposal would entrench the company’s long-standing dominance in the €120bn digital advertising sector.
The coalition of more than 70 groups — spanning journalism networks, digital rights groups, democracy advocates and independent researchers — sent a joint letter to President Ursula von der Leyen and Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera arguing that only a structural remedy would address Google’s entrenched control over the advertising technology supply chain.
Concerns Over Entrenched Market Power
The signatories say Google maintains a vertically integrated position across “every layer of the adtech stack,” enabling it to preference its own services while disadvantaging publishers and rival intermediaries. They argue that the company’s past behaviour shows behavioural commitments cannot resolve the underlying conflict of interest.
Citing more than a decade of EU cases, the groups point to previous enforcement actions — including Shopping, Android and AdSense — as examples where behavioural remedies “failed to curb Google’s practices or slow its expansion.” They warn that accepting similar measures now would place additional pressure on DMA enforcement teams while delivering minimal relief to European publishers.
Calls for Alignment with U.S. and Canadian actions
The letter highlights recent U.S. developments, noting that the Department of Justice secured a finding of liability in its adtech case last month and is seeking structural relief. DOJ lawyers described Google as a “recidivist monopolist” and argued that only divestment can “terminate Google’s monopolies and deny it the fruits of its unlawful conduct.”
Canadian authorities have taken a comparable stance in their own proceedings, reinforcing, according to the coalition, the global shift toward separating Google’s advertising businesses to restore market neutrality.
Impact on Media Sustainability
The groups warn that Google’s dominance has “severe consequences” for Europe’s media ecosystem, arguing that declining advertising revenues have contributed to a 30 percent contraction in media jobs since 2008. They say a weakened press leaves space for disinformation to proliferate and undermines democratic debate.
While Google’s settlement pitch includes transparency tools and additional flexibility for publishers, the coalition regards these as “behavioural tweaks” that do not resolve the structural imbalance at the core of the market.
Structural Remedy Urged
The organizations urge the Commission to move toward a structural solution rather than waiting for U.S. court outcomes, stating that only a divestiture of Google’s adtech assets would “safeguard Europe’s democracy, defend its sovereignty, and protect citizens and publishers.”
The signatories include EDRi, Reporters Without Borders, Free Press Unlimited, the International Press Institute, the European Federation of Journalists, Open Markets Institute, Corporate Europe Observatory, Digitalcourage, SOMO, LobbyControl, People vs Big Tech and multiple privacy-focused adtech challengers.
