Latest news with #JulianeKokott
Euractiv
11-07-2025
- Business
- Euractiv
EU Advocate General: Commission in wrong over Polish mine dispute
WARSAW – The European Commission wrongly deducted over €68 million from Poland's EU funds for failing to halt operations at the Turów coal mine, according to an EU Court of Justice preliminary opinion on Thursday. Czechia brought a case to the EU Court of Justice in 2021 over environmental and health risks linked to the mine near the Czech border. In May of that year, the court ordered Poland to cease mining immediately. When Poland did not comply, the court imposed a €500,000 daily fine, which ran from 20 September 2021, to 3 February 2022. However, according to Thursday's opinion of the Advocate General – whose findings are non-binding though often followed by the court in its final ruling – a 2022 agreement between Poland and Czechia retroactively nullified those interim measures, and therefore the penalties. Under that bilateral deal, which has been criticised by Czech and German NGOs and deemed illegal by some Czech legal experts, Poland pledged to pay €45 million in compensation and adopt environmental safeguards to limit the mine's cross-border impact. 'The amicable agreement between the Czech Republic and Poland meant that the interim measures were cancelled retroactively,' wrote Advocate General Juliane Kokott. 'Therefore, the Commission wrongly offset the penalty payment against Poland's claims against the EU budget.'
Free Malaysia Today
23-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Google suffers setback as EU legal opinion backs record fine
Google allegedly pressured Android phone makers to pre-install its search engine, effectively sidelining competitors. (EPA Images pic) LUXEMBOURG : Google suffered a legal blow at the European Court of Justice on Thursday, when the body's adviser recommended upholding a record fine imposed on the company for anti-competitive practices. The US tech giant has been trying to overturn on appeal a €4.3 billion (US$4.9 billion) fine imposed by the European Commission in 2018, which was later reduced to €4.1 billion. But in its opinion, Juliane Kokott, advocate general at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), said 'the legal arguments put forward by Google are ineffective,' the court later said in a statement. Although not binding, such advice carries weight and is often followed by EU judges in their rulings. The commission, the EU's antitrust regulator, had accused Google of abusing the popularity of its Android operating system to restrict competition. It alleged Google pressured phone makers using Android to pre-install its search engine and Google Chrome browser – essentially shutting out rivals. The findings were upheld in 2022 by the European Union's second-highest court, which slightly reduced the fine. The levy remains the EU's biggest ever. Arguing that the commission's case was unfounded and that the sanction penalised innovation, Google appealed to the EU's top court. The company had also pushed the case that the EU was unfairly blind to Apple, which gives preference to its own services, such as Safari on iPhones. Thursday's advice will guide the EUCJ in its decision. The court has the final say on the matter. 'Google held a dominant position in several markets of the Android ecosystem and thus benefited from network effects that enabled it to ensure that users used Google Search,' the court said, detailing Kokott's opinion. 'As a result, Google obtained access to data that enabled it in turn to improve its service. No hypothetical as-efficient competitor could have found itself in such a situation,' the statement read. As part of a major push to target big tech abuses, the EU slapped Google with fines worth a total of 8.2 billion euros between 2017 and 2019 over antitrust violations. This set off a series of long-running legal battles. Brussels has since armed itself with a more powerful legal weapon known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to rein in tech giants. Rather than regulators discovering egregious antitrust violations after probes lasting many years, the DMA gives businesses a list of what they can and cannot do online. In March, the commission informed Google parent Alphabet that preliminary reviews concluded its search engine and Google Play app store operated in ways that run afoul of the new rules.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Alphabet Stock Flopped on Friday
The company didn't have a good day in a top European court. The court's key advisor recommended that the tech titan's appeal against a large fine be rejected. 10 stocks we like better than Alphabet › Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL) stock didn't finish the trading week on a high note. The Google parent company's two listed shares both sank by nearly 4% in price that day, thanks in no small part to a development on the regulatory front. Those declines were notably more pronounced than the S&P 500 index's 0.2% slip on the day. Alphabet's key business unit Google is on the hook to pay a 4.1 billion euro ($4.7 billion) fine to the European Union (EU), after it ruled in 2018 that the company actively stifled search engine competition with its Android mobile operating system. The tech giant has, not surprisingly, appealed that fine. That appeal is now pending at the highest court in the EU, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). In what has to be considered a setback for Google/Alphabet, the CJEU's advocate-general -- the court's top advisory official -- recommended that Google's appeal be dismissed. In her recommendation, Juliane Kokott said that "Google held a dominant position in several markets of the Android-ecosystem and thus benefited from network effects that enabled it to ensure that users used Google Search." Although Kokott's recommendations are non-binding, CJEU justices typically accept and follow the advice of the court's advocate-general. Alphabet has not yet publicly commented on this latest development in its appeal. Alphabet did get something of a break with the fine, as it was cut slightly from the original amount of over 4.3 billion euros ($4.9 billion) to the 4.1 billion euros currently hanging over it. The company, sprawling and powerful as it is, can easily afford the fine in the likely case its appeal fails. However, a defeat would illustrate Alphabet's continued vulnerability to anti-competitive lawsuits like the EU's. Before you buy stock in Alphabet, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Alphabet wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $659,171!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $891,722!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 995% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Alphabet Stock Flopped on Friday was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Globe and Mail
20-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Why Alphabet Stock Flopped on Friday
Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL) stock didn't finish the trading week on a high note. The Google parent company's two listed shares both sank by nearly 4% in price that day, thanks in no small part to a development on the regulatory front. Those declines were notably more pronounced than the S&P 500 index's 0.2% slip on the day. An unappealing request? Alphabet's key business unit Google is on the hook to pay a 4.1 billion euro ($4.7 billion) fine to the European Union (EU), after it ruled in 2018 that the company actively stifled search engine competition with its Android mobile operating system. The tech giant has, not surprisingly, appealed that fine. That appeal is now pending at the highest court in the EU, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). In what has to be considered a setback for Google/Alphabet, the CJEU's advocate-general -- the court's top advisory official -- recommended that Google's appeal be dismissed. In her recommendation, Juliane Kokott said that "Google held a dominant position in several markets of the Android-ecosystem and thus benefited from network effects that enabled it to ensure that users used Google Search." Although Kokott's recommendations are non-binding, CJEU justices typically accept and follow the advice of the court's advocate-general. Alphabet has not yet publicly commented on this latest development in its appeal. One break was enough Alphabet did get something of a break with the fine, as it was cut slightly from the original amount of over 4.3 billion euros ($4.9 billion) to the 4.1 billion euros currently hanging over it. The company, sprawling and powerful as it is, can easily afford the fine in the likely case its appeal fails. However, a defeat would illustrate Alphabet's continued vulnerability to anti-competitive lawsuits like the EU's. Should you invest $1,000 in Alphabet right now? Before you buy stock in Alphabet, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Alphabet wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $659,171!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $891,722!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is995% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to172%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Google suffers setback as EU legal opinion backs record fine
HighlightsThe European Court of Justice's adviser recommended upholding a record 4.1 billion euro fine against Google for anti-competitive practices related to its Android operating system. The European Commission accused Google of abusing its dominant position by pressuring phone manufacturers to pre-install its search engine and Google Chrome, effectively sidelining competitors. The European Union has introduced the Digital Markets Act to more effectively regulate tech giants, providing clear guidelines on acceptable online practices, following a series of significant antitrust fines against Google. Google suffered a legal blow at the European Court of Justice on Thursday, when the body's adviser recommended upholding a record fine imposed on the company for anti-competitive practices . The US tech giant has been trying to overturn on appeal a 4.3-billion-euro ($4.9 billion) fine imposed by the European Commission in 2018, which was later reduced to 4.1 billion euros. But in its opinion, Juliane Kokott , advocate general at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), said "the legal arguments put forward by Google are ineffective", the court later said in a statement. Although not binding, such advice carries weight and is often followed by EU judges in their rulings. The commission, the EU's antitrust regulator, had accused Google of abusing the popularity of its Android operating system to restrict competition. It alleged Google pressured phone makers using Android to pre-install its search engine and Google Chrome browser -- essentially shutting out rivals. The findings were upheld in 2022 by the European Union's second-highest court, which slightly reduced the fine. The levy remains the EU's biggest ever. Arguing that the commission's case was unfounded and that the sanction penalised innovation, Google appealed to the EU's top court. The company had also pushed the case that the EU was unfairly blind to Apple, which gives preference to its own services, such as Safari on iPhones. Thursday's advice will guide the EUCJ in its decision. The court has the final say on the matter. "Google held a dominant position in several markets of the Android-ecosystem and thus benefited from network effects that enabled it to ensure that users used Google Search," the court said, detailing Kokott's opinion. "As a result, Google obtained access to data that enabled it in turn to improve its service. No hypothetical as-efficient competitor could have found itself in such a situation," the statement read. As part of a major push to target big tech abuses, the EU slapped Google with fines worth a total of 8.2 billion euros between 2017 and 2019 over antitrust violations. This set off a series of long-running legal battles. Brussels has since armed itself with a more powerful legal weapon known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), to rein in tech giants. Rather than regulators discovering egregious antitrust violations after probes lasting many years, the DMA gives businesses a list of what they can and cannot do online. In March, the commission informed Google parent Alphabet that preliminary reviews concluded its search engine and Google Play app store operated in ways that run afoul of the new rules.
