Google Fines Worth €4.6 Billion Should Cut EU Member State Contributions, France Says

France is calling for €4.6 billion linked to European Union fines against Google to automatically reduce what member states contribute to the bloc’s budget, as governments negotiate the EU’s €2 trillion spending framework for 2028 to 2034.

 

TL;DR

 

• France’s Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad wants €4.6 billion linked to Google penalties to reduce national contributions to the EU budget.
• EU penalties against Google have reached €10.38 billion across nearly two decades of competition cases.
• EU competition fines already enter the bloc’s general budget and reduce member-state contributions under existing rules.
• France faces a potentially significant increase in its annual EU contribution under the proposed 2028-2034 budget.

France wants the European Union to use billions of euros collected through fines imposed on Google to lower the amount member states have to contribute to the bloc’s budget.

According to Reuters, France’s Minister Delegate for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad made the proposal during an interview with Franceinfo.

“This is a new revenue source for the European Union, worth €4.6 billion,” said Haddad, adding that the proceeds should automatically reduce contributions from member states.

The proposal comes as EU governments negotiate the bloc’s next long-term budget for 2028 to 2034, with further discussions expected at summits in October, November and December.

The European Commission has proposed a budget of approximately €2 trillion, representing around 1.26% of the EU’s gross national income.

 

Where Does The €4.6 Billion From Google Come From?

Haddad did not specify exactly which Google penalty the €4.6 billion figure represented, according to The Next Web.

However, one major component is Google's long-running Android antitrust case.

In July 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union dismissed an appeal from Google and parent company Alphabet and upheld a revised fine of €4.125 billion.

The case dates back to a 2018 European Commission decision that found Google had abused its dominant position through restrictions involving Android devices, including requirements related to Google Search and Chrome.

The original fine was around €4.34 billion before the General Court reduced it to €4.125 billion.

Google has accumulated substantially more penalties across its disputes with European regulators.

Reuters reported that EU penalties imposed on Google over nearly two decades of anticompetitive practices have now reached €10.38 billion.

More recently, the European Commission fined Google €890 million in July 2026 for two violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The Commission imposed a €460 million fine over self-preferencing practices involving Google Search and another €430 million penalty over restrictions affecting businesses directing consumers to alternative purchasing channels outside Google Play.

EU Fines Already Reduce Member State Contributions

 

There is an important detail behind France’s proposal.

Under existing EU rules, competition fines that become final are already paid into the general European Union budget rather than being earmarked for particular programs.

The European Commission explains that this revenue reduces the contributions required from member states for the following year.

This means France is effectively seeking assurance that the proceeds associated with Google's latest penalties will be reflected in national contributions as governments work through the next EU budget.

According to The Next Web, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had also written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier in September seeking assurances that the proceeds would reduce national payments.

 

France Faces A Larger EU Budget Contribution

 

The financial implications are particularly significant for France.

The French Senate estimates that the European Commission's proposed 2028-2034 framework could increase France's average annual contribution to the EU budget from €26 billion under the current framework to €36 billion.

Without the additional EU revenue sources proposed by the Commission, the Senate estimates France’s annual contribution could reach €42 billion.

That makes revenue collected from regulatory penalties increasingly relevant as EU governments debate both the overall size of the next budget and how its costs will be distributed.

For now, Haddad’s proposal remains France’s position in an ongoing budget negotiation rather than a newly adopted EU funding rule.