20
Oct
2025
Watch
The decision to impose a fine on Google: defending press and media freedom in the EU (debate)
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I think we all see that the big platforms, we are now talking about Google, but not only, have this problem that our internal market is actually creating, namely market dominance and conflict of interest. They are cancer for democracy, they are cancer for fair competition in the market. It's very good that you fined Google, let's see when you collect the money, but it's not enough. We have other platforms that collect all the advertising. Of course, then we cannot have a free media, because they also need income so that they can live. Freedom of expression is then affected and, Commissioner, the speed with which we act. In 2017, I was and visited Google from the Committee on the Internal Market. Since 2017, we have noticed that Google is actually doing unfair things in the internal market. We must defend our internal market by all means, not only through regulation, but above all through implementation. And yes, I heard TikTok. We don't know what's happened before. Citizens need answers, and in the European Union, our businesses in all areas need fair competition. Keep going, don't be intimidated. We must have our own high tech in the European Union and our own industry and fair competition.