The European Commission asks Google to open search data for rivals and AI services based on the DMA
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The European Commission has sent Google preliminary findings detailing the measures the company should follow to comply with its obligations under the Digital Markets Act regarding the sharing of data generated by the search engine. In the proposed form from Brussels, Google should allow rival search engines access to data such as ranking data, query data, click data, and view data, under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory conditions. The Commission's stated objective is for these actors, described as "data beneficiaries," to be able to optimize their services and to challenge Google's Search position in the market.
In short
The European Commission has sent Google preliminary findings with proposed measures for compliance with the Digital Markets Act regarding the sharing of search data.
Google is expected to provide access to data such as ranking, query, click, and view data under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory conditions.
Eligible beneficiaries may also include AI chatbots with search functionalities.
The Commission has opened a public consultation until May 1, 2026.
The final binding decision must be adopted by July 27, 2026.
The statement shows that the measures proposed by the Commission cover several very concrete components of data access. These include the eligibility of beneficiaries, including AI chatbots with search functionalities, the types of data that Google must share, the means and frequency by which this data must be made available, measures for anonymizing personal data, parameters for establishing fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory prices, and the procedures governing beneficiaries' access to search data. Through this list, the Commission enters a much more concrete phase of the DMA's application and seeks to define not only the principle obligation but also the practical conditions under which it must be executed.
The stakes of the intervention are explicitly expressed in the statement. Brussels states that access to this data is necessary for rival search engines to be able to improve their services and to compete more effectively with Google Search. The formula used by the Commission places search data at the center of digital competition: it is not just about transparency, but about access to an essential input for the development and refinement of competing services. Moreover, the inclusion of AI chatbots with search functionalities among potential beneficiaries clearly extends the case beyond the classic competition between search engines and links it to the future market of AI products connected to search.
Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera said: "Today's decision establishes the specifications we expect Google to follow to comply with its obligations under the Digital Markets Act. Data is an essential input for online search and for the development of new services, including AI. Access to this data should not be restricted in ways that could affect competition. In rapidly moving markets, small changes can quickly have a large impact. We will not allow practices that risk closing markets or limiting opportunities. We now invite interested parties to share their views so that we can ensure that the measures are effective in practice and work for the entire search ecosystem."
The same idea is echoed by Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, who directly links the online search market to the evolution of AI services. She stated: "Search engines must be able to innovate and keep pace with the changing needs of users. Our work to create opportunities in this sector continues and comes at a crucial moment of increasing interconnection with AI services. Through this public consultation, we want to hear from the market what are the most effective ways for Google to share search data with competing online search engine providers, to continue our push for innovation and fair competitiveness."
From a procedural standpoint, the Commission is now opening a public consultation to test the practical effectiveness of the proposed measures. Stakeholders have until May 1, 2026, to submit comments. The European executive says it will carefully assess the feedback received both from the market and from Google and that it may use this input to adjust the measures that will be included in the final binding decision. This decision must be adopted by July 27, 2026. At the same time, the Commission clarifies that this procedure does not affect its competence to separately adopt a decision finding a gatekeeper in non-compliance with the obligations set out in the DMA.
The procedural context is also important for the political positioning of the case. These preliminary findings are part of a set of specification procedures opened on January 27, 2026. The Commission reminds that the DMA aims to ensure contestable and fair markets in the digital sector and that it applies to gatekeepers, i.e., large platforms that act as essential gateways between business users and consumers and that can create bottlenecks in the digital economy. In Google's case, the Commission designated as early as September 6, 2023, a series of Alphabet services as essential platform services, including Google Search, Google Play, Google Maps, YouTube, Android, Google Chrome, Google Shopping, and its online advertising services. For these services, the DMA obligations apply fully from March 7, 2024.
Therefore, the current case does not concern a new designation or the opening of a new substantive procedure, but the stage in which the Commission seeks to establish exactly how the obligation to share data should be practically implemented. The emphasis on ranking, query, click, and view data shows that Brussels treats the data generated by the search engine as a strategic resource for competition, innovation, and the development of new digital services, including in the AI area. To the extent that the proposed measures are confirmed in the final decision, they will represent one of the most concrete applications of the DMA in the field of data access and the relationship between dominant platforms and their rivals.
The procedure is part of the Commission's broader effort to transform the Digital Markets Act from a set of general obligations into a concrete framework applicable to large designated gatekeeper platforms. In the case of Google Search, the stakes are access to data that can directly influence the quality and competitiveness of rival search services and AI services based on search.
The Commission positions the case in the context of a rapidly changing digital market, where online search and AI services are increasingly interconnected. Therefore, the public consultation and the upcoming binding decision will be relevant not only for competition among search engines but also for how the EU seeks to shape data access as a central element of an open and contestable digital market.
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