France Urges EU to Use Google Fines to Lower Member State Budget Contributions

France has proposed that the European Union channel the proceeds of fines levied on Google towards reducing the contributions member states make to the EU budget, Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad said on Tuesday.

In an interview with Franceinfo TV, Haddad described the penalty revenue as a fresh source of funding for the bloc. He said the sum, which he put at €4.6 billion, should automatically lower the amounts all member states are required to pay.

The suggestion comes as EU governments negotiate the budget for the 2028 to 2034 period. Talks are scheduled to continue at summits in October, November and December, with the aim of reaching an agreement before the end of the year. Capitals remain divided over both the overall size of the budget and how spending should be prioritised.

The European Commission has proposed a budget of about €2 trillion, equivalent to 1.26% of EU Gross National Income. Of that total, roughly €168 billion, or 0.11% of GNI, would be used to service the EU's borrowing for the post-pandemic recovery fund.

Google was fined a total of €890 million, or about $1.01 billion, in July for breaching European Union rules designed to curb the market power of large technology companies. Those penalties brought the total fines imposed on Google by the EU for anti-competitive practices to €10.38 billion over nearly two decades.